Well done ! We must salute the work of the Quebec Minister of Sport. The bill tabled by Isabelle Charest is a very good initiative to get the bad apples out of the sports world.
For too long, the toxic culture that poisons the sporting environment has hidden the bad apples at the bottom of the basket. The organizations covered up the sexual, physical or psychological abuse. They protected the attackers, whether they were coaches or athletes.
To be convinced, you only have to look at how Hockey Canada bought the silence of an alleged victim of gang rape after a sports gala in London in 2018. This allowed players to continue their careers in the National League, reaping glory and applause, until the investigation was reopened by the London police, under media pressure.
This week, the police chief also apologized to the alleged victim. But he hit the nail on the head by specifying that the “sexualization of young women in today’s society” contributed to violence against women. Pardon ? This kind of unfortunate statement is reminiscent of the not-so-distant era when victims were blamed for wearing a mini-skirt.
But let’s return to the bill tabled by Minister Charest on Tuesday, which will facilitate the complaint process, thanks to the creation of a Protector of Integrity in Sport.
Ultimately, this protector will replace the Independent Complaints Officer who was set up by Quebec in 2021. But the organization has difficulty convincing the community of its independence, because it is under the leadership of the Regroupement Loisir et Sport of Quebec… whose members are sports federations.
Appointed by the government, the new Protector will truly be above the fray. He will also have the ability to knock on the doors of sports organizations, demand documents and force people to testify. This power of investigation is sorely lacking in the Officer. The athlete who files a complaint against his coach must provide proof himself… in the presence of the coach. Everything to discourage filing a complaint, especially a young person who fears reprisals if he returns to training.
The new Protector will therefore have more bite. On the other hand, the system will be eminently political, since the Protector will only have the power to make recommendations to the organization found in default. If he doesn’t want to hear anything, it will be up to the minister herself to take the necessary measures, which is not so easy, because sports organizations do not come under the government.
Nonetheless, this is a great step forward. Just like the obligation to check criminal records which will be enshrined in law and allocated a budget of 30 million. Even day camps and scout troops will be subject to it. It remains to be seen who will enter into the definition, which remains vague. Will we require background records for all summer day camp counselors? For people at the reception of a swimming pool? For volunteers?
Take out the bad apples, okay. But you shouldn’t throw away the entire basket.
Beyond the individuals on the field, it is the very culture of sport that must be reviewed. A culture that places disproportionate importance on medals, with funding programs like Own the Podium.
A culture of performance that puts disproportionate pressure on the shoulders of athletes and coaches to make Canada shine at the Olympics.
The worst part is that the Olympics have absolutely no impact on mass participation in sports across the population as a whole, as science shows. It is time to review the financing method to focus a little less on medals and a little more on the promotion of sport for all. Public health would only be better off. That of elite athletes too.
It is because of our quest for excellence at all costs that unacceptable behavior is tolerated, even buried, by federations accustomed to working in isolation. We have seen it in many sports: volleyball, gymnastics, figure skating…
Last November, when figure skating coach Richard Gauthier was found guilty of sexual assault on a teenager, around twenty people from the community came to praise his merits during the proceedings which led him to prison. No one changed their opinion, despite the guilt. Real denial!
Clearly, there is still a lot to do to change mentalities and clean up sport.
Ottawa had promised a public commission of inquiry to open the abscess. But ultimately, we will only be entitled to a watered-down version that will not have the power to demand documents and testimony from organizations. Damage.
Beyond the bad apples, it is the sports culture that is sick.