(OTTAWA) Sports Minister, Liberal Pascale St-Onge, and representatives of other major political parties on Monday called for heads to roll at Hockey Canada after the Globe and Mail revealed that the organization held a second fund to deal with sexual abuse issues.
Posted at 3:38 p.m.
Updated at 4:42 p.m.
“I say it clearly: it takes resignations. I don’t think it’s possible to rebuild trust in Hockey Canada, then in the organization, with the same people who allowed this system to exist,” said Ms.me St-Onge in the foyer of the House of Commons.
According to the minister, the leadership problems at Hockey Canada are “enormous” and the revelations that keep popping up every week demonstrate it.
On Monday, however, Minister St-Onge said she was reluctant to hold an independent investigation since there are “already several investigations underway,” citing the financial audit, the National League of hockey, local police investigations and work at the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage.
“So all of this will bring results, then we will see from that what the next steps are,” she argued.
” Out ! »
However, the House of Commons has voted unanimously in recent months in favor of a motion calling for an independent inquiry into the way Hockey Canada “deals with complaints of sexual assault, sexual harassment and other types of misconduct reported to him,” said Bloc sports spokesperson Sébastien Lemire.
We must change the culture of this sport “in depth”, explained Mr. Lemire. And although, like other MPs, the elected Bloc member struggled to say what sanctions could be imposed on Hockey Canada, an independent organization whose management is clinging, he admitted: “Our job is to maintain pressure. »
According to the Bloc Québécois, change is needed in senior management and the board of directors. “We have to wipe the slate clean […] because the confidence is no longer there,” summed up Mr. Lemire.
Same story with the Conservatives. Deputy Richard Martel did not go easy on his arrival in parliament.
Clearly, there, it takes a complete cleaning. Board of Directors, then the leaders of Hockey Canada: out!
Richard Martel, Conservative MP
And who’s going to kick them out, if they’re independent? What exactly should Minister St-Onge do? “The minister, she has powers, she can regulate certain things,” he replied. We are going to look at this everyone together and we need to have clearer actions than what currently exists. »
The New Democratic Party, for its part, sent a letter to the government calling on it to “take its responsibilities” and to audit Hockey Canada’s financial statements in order to “get to the bottom of the matter” on the use of the funds, said MP Peter Julian.
“I think everyone […] thinks he should quit,” he said of the Hockey Canada director.
But Hockey Canada top boss Scott Smith made it crystal clear in heated testimony before the Canadian Heritage Committee in late July that he has no intention of quitting his job. The federation’s board of directors later announced their backing for him and his management team.
PHOTO SEAN KILPATRICK, THE CANADIAN PRESS ARCHIVES
Hockey Canada boss Scott Smith
The chairman of the board of directors, Michael Brind’Amour, for his part submitted his resignation at the beginning of August, before the end of his mandate in November, considering that it is “no need to wait before starting a new era “.
Mr. Brind’Amour will appear before the Canadian Heritage Committee on Tuesday, as will the interim chair of the board, Andrea Skinner.
One scandal does not wait for another
The organization continues to make headlines. The soap opera began in June when the TSN network revealed that a woman who was allegedly sexually assaulted by eight Canadian Hockey League players after a Hockey Canada gala in June 2018 dropped a lawsuit after reaching a settlement at the friendly.
The leaders of the organization paraded in parliamentary committee at the end of June and the elected officials discovered that no player involved had been named. Minister St-Onge then announced that the organization’s funding would be frozen and ordered an audit.
A few weeks later, The Canadian Press revealed that Hockey Canada held a fund to pay sexual abuse claims, earning its leaders another stint in parliamentary committee, where they said they had concluded nine other settlements since 1989 in sexual misconduct cases.
Then, in September, elected officials denounced a survey distributed by Hockey Canada which would have asked parents of players to indicate whether they consider exaggerated the level of criticism of the media about the allegations of sexual assaults that have tainted the organization.