Hockey Canada is a “scapegoat”. Calls for the resignation of its leaders are based on “disinformation”. The media did not “accurately” describe the body’s working mechanisms. No one acted “inappropriately” and the national federation needs “stability” at its head if it wants to implement lasting changes in its culture and in that of hockey.
Posted yesterday at 3:08 p.m.
Hockey Canada’s interim board chair, Andrea Skinner, curtly dismissed criticism of board members as well as the organization’s senior management. Along with his predecessor Michael Brind’Amour, who resigned from his position as Chairman of the Board last August, Mr.me Skinner appeared for two hours before the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage in Ottawa.
Parliamentarians from the four main parties represented in the Commons riddled her with questions concerning in particular the stubbornness of the Board to keep in place the president and general manager Scott Smith, while even the prime minister Justin Trudeau called for his departure. Mme Skinner, however, gives the CEO an “A”.
Last spring, Hockey Canada swiftly reached an out-of-court settlement with a young woman who claims she was raped by eight junior-aged hockey players in June 2018. The alleged victim filed a $3.55 million civil lawsuit. dollars.
Since the case was made public, a series of new revelations, made possible in large part by the work of the media, have shocked the public and the political class. In particular, we learned of the existence of two funds intended, without being exclusively devoted to it, to compensate victims of sexual assault. Since 1989, settlements have been reached with 22 people.
The federation was satisfied with an incomplete report produced by a firm responsible for carrying out an investigation into the alleged attack. Hockey Canada disseminated false information to the public about the alleged victim, arguing in particular that she had never cooperated with the police, which she nevertheless did. In recent weeks, Hockey Canada has also circulated a survey among players’ parents asking them if they consider the criticism expressed in the media “exaggerated”.
The organization wants to “change the narrative” around this scandal, according to the minutes of a recent board meeting, according to NDP MP Peter Julian. “Out-of-court settlements should be viewed positively,” the document would add. Hockey Canada has also hired the public relations firm Navigator to help manage the crisis it has been going through for months.
PHOTO FROM HOCKEY CANADA WEBSITE
Andrea Skinner, Interim Chair of Hockey Canada’s Board of Directors
Of all this, M.me Skinner maintains that Hockey Canada has always acted in the interest of the alleged victim, and that the version of the facts broadcast in the media is inaccurate.
About the almost unanimous calls for the resignation of Scott Smith, she replies that “our board does not share [ce] point of view […] which is based on what is considered misinformation”. She also points to an “excessive and cynical attack”.
She was also sorry for the description given by the Globe and Mail, earlier this week, from the “Participant Legacy Trust Fund”. Citing court documents, the Toronto daily explained that this fund was created to deal with claims not covered by the organization’s insurer arising from events that occurred between 1986 and 1995 – which could include, but are not limited to restrict, cases of sexual violence. The fund was supposed to be dissolved in 2020, but Hockey Canada has sought to renew it until 2039.
“I believe that what has been reported in the media does not accurately reflect the situation,” said M.me Skinner, who has more than once claimed that, to his knowledge, this fund had not been used to compensate victims of sexual assault – which the Worldotherwise.
Hockey Canada embraces the ways of [Donald Trump] accusing the press.
Anthony Housefather, Liberal MP
Mr. Housefather, in a close exchange with Mr.me Skinner, was also surprised that the administrators approved the out-of-court settlement last spring without knowing the identity of the alleged attackers and without having in hand an exact reconstruction of the events of 2018. No trace exists, for elsewhere, of the meeting during which the Board gave the green light to this agreement estimated at a few million dollars.
“As a lawyer, is that something you would suggest to a client? asked Mr. Housefather, who is also a lawyer by training.
All behind Smith
All parliamentarians have tried to find out why the Board persisted in keeping Scott Smith in place at the head of Hockey Canada. During two hearings before the Heritage Committee, Mr. Smith himself reiterated that he believed he was the right man to change the “culture” within the organization and Canadian hockey. In the opinion of many observers, his performance before the Commons had not been very convincing.
“Is Hockey Canada more interested in maintaining stability or creating cultural change? wondered curator Rachael Thomas.
PHOTO SEAN KILPATRICK, THE CANADIAN PRESS ARCHIVES
Scott Smith
Andrea Skinner responded that all nine Board members were up for re-election within the next few weeks and that to “destroy” Hockey Canada with a complete cleaning of its administrators and managers would have an inevitable “impact” on “the girls and boys who play in hockey in Canada.
“Will the lights stay on at the arena? “, she added.
In his eyes, Mr. Smith and senior management have never acted “inappropriately”, and the CEO remains the best person to implement the “Action Plan to Improve Hockey in Canada” unveiled during the summer. This initiative, criticized from its launch, is already creating all kinds of headaches within the provincial federations, which are calling for clear directives.
MPs struggled to ask Michael Brind’Amour whether or not he trusted Mr. Smith. The Quebec lawyer was still at the head of the Board when a “consensual” vote of confidence was formulated towards the CEO.
The chair of the Heritage Committee, Hedy Fry, even had to summon Mr. Brind’Amour to answer the question, which he dodged several times.
“Yes,” he finally breathed. “I believe Mr. Smith has the qualities required to do positive work for the organization,” he added. He is a unifier and knows how to surround himself with people who complement him. He is a worker. »
Andrea Skinner essentially said the same thing, adding that Mr. Smith was “fully committed” to Hockey Canada’s strategic plan. Keeping him in place does not prevent the implementation of “meaningful changes”, she continued.
“If you were a teacher, how would you rate Scott Smith? “, Launched Anthony Housefather to Mme Skinning.
“I’m a tough evaluator, but I believe the circumstances in which Mr. Smith worked are extraordinary and difficult,” she replied. I would say he conducted himself like an A under the circumstances. »
In his closing speech, Bloc Québécois Sébastien Lemire launched a full-throttle charge aimed at Mme Skinner and Hockey Canada.
“I feel that you are disconnected from the population, he estimated. You convince each other that you did the right thing. The Board, normally, has the responsibility of being a watchdog [pour le public]. There, you act as the executive arm and perpetuate a toxic culture. You accuse the media and politicians of misunderstanding your message. But we remain on the lookout for the next revelations. »