Thomas Cromwell, a former justice of the Supreme Court of Canada, believes that Hockey Canada’s handling of the scandal that afflicts it is an example of bad conduct.
Posted at 8:04 p.m.
Even though Cromwell no longer works for Canada’s highest and most important court, he still took on the case of the country’s largest sports federation after a request from Hockey Canada last August.
CBC News has learned that Cromwell wrote a more than 100-page report recommending a series of changes and solutions.
FILE PHOTO, PROVIDED BY THE SUPREME COURT OF CANADA
Former Judge Thomas Cromwell
In his view, while the fund set up by Hockey Canada to settle the $3.5 million lawsuit over a 2018 gang sexual assault was “necessary,” there are “serious issues with how this fund was administered. »
According to the report, Hockey Canada did not have what it takes to properly manage a reserve fund. Especially since the biggest mistake is to have hidden the existence of this fund from its contributors, that is to say the parents of minor hockey players across Canada.
By law, Hockey Canada is supposed to notify its contributors when it uses the reserve fund for causes that exceed $500,000. However, the retired judge listed six cases, since 1999, in which Hockey Canada failed to inform the public of the use of the funds.
In short, Cromwell pleads for more transparency and greater parity within the board of directors.
Reading the report, Elizabeth Watson, international governance expert and founder of Watson Advisors, says Hockey Canada’s way of managing is “an example of what can go wrong. »