Crisis at Hockey Canada | Trudeau raises his voice, Canadian Tire cuts ties

“It is time for them to leave. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is speaking out against Hockey Canada executives, which several major sponsors have already dumped in the wake of his criticized handling of sexual assault allegations involving junior players. Thursday, Canadian Tire and Telus joined the lot.

Posted at 10:08 a.m.
Updated at 10:32 a.m.

Henri Ouellette-Vezina

Henri Ouellette-Vezina
The Press

“The fact that they don’t understand that people have completely lost faith in what they are doing prolongs the pain. We would not want to see Hockey Canada disappear as a whole, we can simply replace the people and the culture, “said Mr. Trudeau during a press scrum Thursday morning in Ottawa.

Mr. Trudeau also maintained that “at some point, people will wake up”. “We lost faith in Hockey Canada. It is time for them to leave,” he insisted.

Asked by journalists whether to recreate a new organization from scratch, the Prime Minister answered Thursday with irony that if it is necessary to set up another federation “which is called Canada Hockey, we will do it” , in order to “take care of our young people”.

His comments come as several major sports federation sponsors, including Tim Hortons, Scotiabank and Telus, cast ship on Wednesday and Thursday, pulling out of all men’s programs for the upcoming 2022-23 season. “We are deeply discouraged by Hockey Canada’s lack of action and commitment to changing its internal culture,” Telus said in a written statement Thursday morning.

“Resist significant change”

After “mature reflection”, Canadian Tire for its part announced Thursday that it had “made the decision to end its partnership with Hockey Canada”. “In our view, Hockey Canada continues to resist significant change and we can no longer move forward with confidence. Canadian Tire Corporation (CTC) is proud of its commitment to the sport and will continue to invest in our beloved national game by redirecting support to hockey-related organizations that better align with our values,” the company said in a statement. a statement in English.

“The Respect Group, which focuses on preventing bullying, abuse, harassment and discrimination, is one of many organizations where funds will be diverted. We are committed to supporting hockey and sport that are inclusive and safe for all Canadians,” continued Canadian Tire management.

This blow for Hockey Canada is in addition to the desire of Hockey Quebec and the Ontario Hockey Federation to withhold the funding it pays to it. Hockey Quebec was the first provincial federation to say it will withhold the $3 participation fee players pay to Hockey Canada each year. The main Ontario federation had also announced this intention in July.

Their decision was applauded by federal elected officials. Sports Minister Pascale St-Onge also hopes that other provincial federations will now follow their example. On Wednesday, Justin Trudeau said he understood “fully the choice of Hockey Quebec, which has lost confidence in Hockey Canada, like all of us here in Ottawa, like parents from one end of this country to the other”.

A “systemic” problem

For Professor André Richelieu, from UQAM’s School of Management Sciences and a specialist in brand management and the sports industry, it remains to be seen, however, “whether these companies will be proactive and will be part of a broader reflection surrounding the culture of hockey, in particular, and sport, in general”.

“It is indeed hard to believe that this phenomenon is new and that it is limited to Hockey Canada. What is happening in the other federations? How is it possible that we did not know, as is claimed, particularly within certain agencies, Sport Canada, for example? he wonders.

The problem, he says, “appears to me to be systemic”. “We won’t solve it by focusing only on Hockey Canada and making it a scapegoat to ease our conscience. The problem is undoubtedly much broader,” said Mr. Richelieu in an interview.

With Alice Girard-Bossé, Mayssa Ferah and Simon-Olivier Lorange


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