The resignation of the interim president of Hockey Canada’s board of directors is a “good first step” according to the federal Minister of Sports, Pascale St-Onge, who is however calling for even more change within the national federation.
Passing through the set of the show Everybody talks about itSunday evening at Radio-Canada, Ms. St-Onge reconsidered the decision of Andrea Skinner, who submitted her resignation on Saturday evening in the wake of the management of allegations of gang rape by Hockey Canada.
The Minister explained that, in her opinion, Ms. Skinner’s appearance before a parliamentary committee this week had illustrated the fact that she did not understand “the real problems within Hockey Canada and the problems at the level of their management”.
“So the fact that she is leaving is a good thing, because what we need are leaders who understand that there is a toxic culture in the world of hockey right now and that there is there must be a lot of prevention, a lot of education and a lot of change within the organization,” said Minister St-Onge.
She also acknowledged that Hockey Canada’s leadership should have these goals in mind, rather than wanting to protect the federation’s image and reputation.
Hockey Canada has been in the spotlight since May, when it was revealed that an undisclosed settlement amount was paid to a woman who alleged she was sexually assaulted by eight players — including members of the national junior team — after a gala in 2018 in London, Ont.
Allegations of sexual assault involving the 2003 national junior team also surfaced in July. None of these allegations have been proven in court.
It was also revealed that Hockey Canada keeps a fund partly fed by minor hockey registration fees to pay for uninsured liabilities, including assault and sexual abuse claims.
The leaders of the federation, including its CEO Scott Smith, refused to resign, despite repeated requests from many elected officials.