Hockey Canada adopted recommendations from former Supreme Court of Canada Justice Thomas Cromwell’s report on Saturday.
Updated yesterday at 9:16 p.m.
During a meeting on Saturday, Hockey Canada and the 13 leaders of its provincial and territorial branches adopted recommendations from Mr. Cromwell’s report, released last Thursday. This is a “first series of modifications”, according to the national federation.
PHOTO JUSTIN TANG, THE CANADIAN PRESS ARCHIVES
Thomas Cromwell, former Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada
Thomas Cromwell had notably recommended that Hockey Canada put in place a new administration, before the board of directors and president Scott Smith left the organization last Tuesday. All positions on the Board of Directors will be filled in elections to be held on December 17.
Effective immediately
In a statement released Saturday, Hockey Canada said the changes would take effect immediately. The new board of directors will have a term of one year rather than two, as a transition board. In particular, he will have the mandate to carry out “urgent tasks which must be carried out in the short term”.
All applications for a position on the future board will have to be approved by an independent committee, Hockey Canada said.
“This is part of the first wave of changes made in response to Mr. Cromwell’s interim recommendations,” Hockey Canada said.
In 2018, the national federation reached an out-of-court settlement with a woman who said she was raped by eight players in Ontario. It was also revealed that Hockey Canada was holding funds to settle cases following allegations of assault or sexual assault, not covered by its insurance.
A complete review of the organization’s governance had been entrusted to Thomas Cromwell last August when the incident was revealed.
“We are working to regain the trust of Canadians and eliminate systemic issues in all areas of sport in Canada,” Hockey Canada said Saturday.
Hockey Quebec has released a statement on social media in reaction to the new decisions of the national federation. “In the view of its stakeholders, the candid and at times difficult discussions resulted in a productive day that marks a journey towards improved structure, increased transparency and renewed trust,” it reads.
With The Canadian Press