(Toronto) As a former gymnast who saw the darker side of the sport, Kirsty Duncan’s mandate was to eradicate abuse in Canadian sport.
Posted at 5:21 p.m.
Mme Duncan, who served as federal sport minister from 2015 to 2019, said she was upset that she was not made aware by Hockey Canada or Sport Canada of the sexual assault allegations against members of the junior hockey team in 2018.
She added that she has no confidence in Hockey Canada to clean up her sport, especially if the same people remain at the helm of the organization.
“If you look at hockey, they failed for 30 years,” said the former minister. We hear about initiatives. We learn a lot afterwards. The turning point should have been after Sheldon Kennedy [qui a été victime d’abus par l’entraîneur Graham James au niveau junior]. »
“Has Hockey Canada changed? The answer is no. I think they played around the edges. They did things here and there. But I believe they have been unable to change the culture for the past 30 years. Why would it be any different this time around, especially if the leading group is the same? »
Mme Duncan spoke to The Canadian Press a day after publishing an open letter in the Globe and Mail about hockey and the crisis in Canadian sport. Emotions were still alive in his voice.
She wrote about her experience in gymnastics, a sport that also finds itself in the spotlight as more than 500 gymnasts across Canada have called for an independent investigation into their sport.
“I personally know what it’s like to be told to eat Jell-O, laxatives, toilet paper in order to respect the weight and to be repeatedly verbally abused by coaches, judges and parents “wrote M.me Duncan.
“I will tell you about a judge, she added in a telephone interview on Friday. I was at a local competition. Local ! At club level. A judge had gone to my mother and told her in front of the whole crowd “you know, your daughter is good, but she has big buttocks”. I must have been 11 or 12 years old. »
Mme Duncan, who is an MLA for Etobicoke North, recalled dedicating most of her life to sport, becoming a coach and judge after her athletic career in order to protect the next generation.
“I did everything in my power to make the sport safe,” she said.
She said she faced many obstacles when she wanted to develop sports safety programs, including 13 sports safety summits across the country, the creation of a universal code of conduct, a helpline , a panel of experts on this subject and a research center on gender equality.
She now believes that every sport needs to go into a period of reflection.
“Everyone has a role to play in this. Everyone has to do their part,” she said.
“It’s heartbreaking,” added M.me Duncan. At school, there is a duty to report an incident. It doesn’t exist in sports. […] You can’t close your eyes. You can’t say you haven’t seen or heard anything. Are you going to tell me that no one at Hockey Canada has seen a pattern over the years? »
Mme Duncan, who served as minister of sport and science, said the federal government must make sport a priority, with the necessary funding and a large dedicated department.
“Because we are talking about youth, about the future of our country. We have to give them the best possible start,” she said.