(Ottawa) There will ultimately be no public inquiry into abuse in sports. The government is instead opting for an independent commission whose model will be similar to that of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
Federal Sport Minister Carla Qualtrough presented the Commission on the Future of Sport in Canada as a more appropriate mechanism than a public inquiry on Monday.
The model chosen is modeled on the model of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which is, according to her, “less rigid” on a legal level and more respectful of victims.
Because the premise is that abuses have been committed in the world of sport, and “we do not want the victims to undergo cross-examination” or for them to prove that they were traumatized, she argued.
A public inquiry would not provide a “safe space for victims and survivors,” and since sport is under provincial jurisdiction, negotiations could have taken a year to conclude, she added.
The Commission will be composed of an independent commissioner and two special advisors appointed for a period of 18 months.
As part of its mandate, it will produce two reports and organize a national summit to allow participants to deliberate on the preliminary findings and recommendations.
As this is not a public inquiry under the Investigation Actit will not have the power to compel witnesses to appear.
Not a broken promise, a “different conclusion”
Last May, Pascale St-Onge, Carla Qualtrough’s predecessor at the head of the ministry, committed to launching a public inquiry into abuses in the sports world.
This is not, however, a broken promise, argued the woman who inherited the file as part of a ministerial reshuffle last July.
“Although my predecessor had stated that this was the direction we were going to take, once my analysis was carried out, I came to a slightly different conclusion,” maintained Ms.me Qualtrough.
In her opening statement, the minister, who is a former Paralympic athlete, offered the government’s apology to Canadian athletes who suffered harm.
“I recognize, on behalf of the Government of Canada, the fact that athletes and participants in sporting events have been harmed, abused or mistreated in the Canadian sports system,” she said.
“I’m sorry this happened to you. The sports system has not protected you or [n’a pas] demanded accountability from those who hurt you,” she said.
And to the survivors who denounced the abuse, “I admire your courage,” whispered Minister Qualtrough.
The government is “playing on words,” says the Bloc Québécois
Monday’s announcement disappointed Bloc leader Sébastien Lemire, according to whom the government prefers to “play on words and create mechanisms far removed from the simple and clear demand of the sporting community.”
Far from being a public inquiry, the commission is “a voluntary process which does not require anyone to come and testify or to obtain documents from the different sports federations or the ministry”, he added.
Two House committees spent months looking into the scourge, after sports network TSN revealed that a young woman had alleged she had been raped by a group of Junior Team Canada players.
During the meetings, elected officials heard a host of stories of abuse or injustice – in hockey, soccer, gymnastics, fencing, boxing, etc.
A presumed satisfied victim
And many athletes argued that a public inquiry was necessary.
Olympic boxer Myriam Da Silva Rondeau is one of those who made this appeal about a year ago before the Standing Committee on the Status of Women.
“A commission of inquiry into the toxic culture of abuse across Canada is absolutely necessary,” she insisted. This is what we all want. »
On Monday, former skier Allison Forsyth, one of those who accused coach Bertrand Charest of having sexually assaulted them, attended Minister Qualtrough’s arguments.
“I have already been through a criminal trial and several prosecutions; I would never want to be forced to come and tell my story against my will,” she explained in an interview on the show Power & Politicsfrom CBC.
“As a survivor, I am very happy with what I heard today,” said the ex-athlete, who last October reached an amicable agreement with Alpine Canada in connection with the Charest affair.