(Quebec) In the wake of allegations of violent initiations in the world of junior hockey, the Legault government could take advantage of the tabling of a bill this spring aimed at reforming sports safety in order to give more teeth to Complaints Officer. This independent position, created in 2020, handles a growing number of cases of abuse and harassment reported by athletes.
At the request of Québec solidaire (QS), in an approach that has since become cross-partisan, the deputies will hear on Wednesday in parliamentary committee the representatives of junior hockey and the student sports network in order to shed light on the allegations of violent initiations perpetrated at the during the last decades.
“The momentum is there. People know that parliamentarians are interested in it. Tongues begin to loosen. People say things. I think we are embarking on a process that could, if done correctly, lead us to constructive solutions and protocols, ”hopes the supportive MP Vincent Marissal.
The order of initiative he tabled has since been enhanced by Liberal MP Enrico Ciccone, who wanted to expand it outside the world of junior hockey.
“It’s not just a hockey phenomenon. It also happens in school sports. It’s a sporting phenomenon,” says Mr. Ciccone. With the support of the government, the deputies will therefore receive on Wednesday the representatives of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (LHJMQ), the Canadian Hockey League (CHL), Hockey Quebec and the Quebec Student Sport Network (RSEQ ).
If some spoke of an omerta in the world of hockey, “it is not a question of omerta”, adds the Liberal MP and former player in the NHL.
What is dangerous and terrible in that is that it was considered normal. It was part of the game, like a must”.
Enrico Ciccone, Liberal MP and former NHL player
McGill University, which has managed similar scandals of violent initiations involving basketball and football teams in the past, refused the invitation to come and testify in a parliamentary committee, deplores Vincent Marissal. The latter will propose to replace the university institution by the Complaints Officer.
“Let’s take advantage that it’s quite new [comme institution] to properly line it up rather than realizing in ten years that it’s another patent that is useless or that has taken bad habits. If there is fine tuning, now is the time to do it,” he says.
“It is expected that the expected groups [mercredi en commission parlementaire] provide clear answers to parliamentarians. Obviously, we want a clear action plan with reporting on the implementation to improve the situation,” adds Pascal Bérubé of the Parti Québécois (PQ).
“Everything is on the table”
Since the scandal erupted earlier this month, when the details surrounding allegations of violent initiations in junior hockey in the country were exposed in an Ontario Superior Court judgment, the minister responsible for Sport, Isabelle Charest, did not hesitate to criticize the organizations which maintain, according to her, a toxic climate.
The Legault government implemented new measures in 2020 to manage cases of abuse and harassment in sport. It created an Independent Officer to deal with complaints from athletes. Previously, each sports federation dealt with complaints differently. Already, Quebec plans to give more teeth to the Officer.
“We have a reflection, which was already underway, to give it more bite,” says Nadia Talbot, chief of staff to Minister Isabelle Charest. “Everything is on the table to improve it,” she says. Wednesday’s parliamentary committee, where the leaders of the QMJHL, among others, will be heard, will fuel Ms.me Charest.
For his first year in office, between 1er February 2021 and the 1er February 2022, the Officer handled 127 complaints. From the second year, from 1er February 2022 to 1er last February, that number increased to 361 cases. In total, more than 40% of the complaints were deemed admissible. Those that were not were rejected on the grounds that they concerned a refereeing decision during a match, that they concerned rules of internal management or a breach of the code of conduct, or that they were anonymous. .
Quebec is the first province to appoint an independent officer.
During a federal-provincial meeting on Friday, the federal Minister of Sports, Pascale St-Onge, also encouraged the nine provinces and territories that still do not have such a mechanism to follow suit.
Minister Charest will table a bill this spring aimed at reforming sports safety. This bill has been in the cards for a few months already, but it could be improved according to the findings of the parliamentary commission, believes Nadia Talbot.
On February 3, an Ontario Superior Court judge dismissed a class action claim filed by three plaintiffs on behalf of the 15,000 players who have played for 50 years in one of the League’s teams. Western Junior League (WHL), Ontario Junior League (OHL) or QMJHL. The judge refused to receive the class action for technical reasons, but he did not question the veracity of the testimonies. It describes, among other things, acts related to underage players who report sticks inserted into the anus, genital mutilation and victims humiliated by being sprayed with urine or excrement.