Sporting and commercial partners of Hockey Canada follow in the footsteps of Hockey Quebec and announce that they want to sever their ties with the national federation.
The unveiling of the existence of a second fund used to settle complaints of sexual assault shakes the provincial branches of the national sport. In a motion adopted Tuesday evening, first relayed by The Press then obtained by The dutyHockey Quebec says it no longer has “confidence in the ability of the Federation [canadienne] to act effectively to change the culture of hockey with the structure in place”.
Hockey Quebec indicates in the document that it will cease its transfers of $3 per registration taken from the contribution of its members. These sums are used, among other things, to finance the national teams. The amounts covering the insurance costs, which total approximately $20, will however continue to be paid. The organization will also ask for “financial accountability for the use of all the sums [qu’elle] will have transferred[es] to Hockey Canada”.
The Quebec federation notably criticizes the action plan put in place by Hockey Canada after two allegations of gang rape involving national junior teams surfaced. The national federation has sealed an amicable agreement with one of the alleged victims. Since then, it has launched an action plan to rectify the situation, but it does not include “any expert or organization working in education, awareness and prevention of sexual violence,” deplores Hockey Quebec.
Reactions across the country
Following Hockey Quebec’s position, one of Ontario’s three provincial associations, the Ontario Hockey Federation (OHF), announced that it too wanted to suspend the transfer of $3 dues to Hockey Canada.
The reasons for the gesture are multiple, explained in an interview the president of the OHF, John Kastner. “Our seven member organizations want to reduce registration fees for parents,” he says. But the latter adds that the latter also oppose the transfer in a “symbolic” way because of the recent scandals.
John Kastner raised the issue of dues with Hockey Canada and its then president, Michael Brind’Amour, in July, then informed the member organizations of the OHF in a public meeting. The association intends to officially suspend this transfer of funds as of the 2022-2023 season. Like Hockey Quebec, the OHF intends, however, to continue to pay Hockey Canada the sums associated with insurance, which have “good value” in the eyes of John Kastner.
The OHF has over 200,000 members; Hockey Quebec, 87,000.
Hockey Northwestern Ontario, a sister organization, would not comment as it was still determining how to proceed. At Hockey Nova Scotia, we say we are following the situation closely: officials are to meet “next week” to decide on their relationship with Hockey Canada.
On the side of Hockey Saskatchewan, the malaise is palpable. “No comment,” replied the organization’s chief executive, Kelly McClintock, when questioned by The duty. On Tuesday, the man issued a statement denying the existence of a “hidden” fund and trivializing its function. According to him, the kitty was known, was used by provincial organizations rather than Hockey Canada and “protects members against any liability claims arising from incidents that occurred between September 1986 and August 1995”.
Other Canadian hockey organizations did not respond to interview requests from the To have to.
Another Canadian symbol, the Tim Hortons chain disavowed Hockey Canada on Wednesday. The company issued a statement assuring that it was withdrawing its sponsorships from “all men’s hockey programs for the 2022-2023 season, including the Junior Men’s World Championships”.
The broken bond of trust
Hockey Canada’s disavowal challenges amateur players from Quebec, among whom the organization’s logo is no longer welcome, says Olivier Desrochers, manager of a team on the South Shore of Montreal.
“I noticed that my child’s helmet had the Hockey Canada sticker on it. I have a slight discomfort seeing this logo on his head. I’ll put an “X” on it or a sticker… says the father of an atom level player. [Les dirigeants de Hockey Canada] don’t seem to understand that the entire population is against them. Even politicians are asking them to quit, and they keep spending our money on public relations. »
The national sports federation hired the public relations firm Navigator last summer to help it manage the crisis. In August, according to minutes obtained by the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage, Hockey Canada’s board of directors declared that the federation was a “family” and that it should “fight back forcefully and not stand in the neutral zone. In a survey launched in September, the federation asked parents if they thought the federation’s media coverage was exaggerated.
The scandal took over part of the question period on Wednesday in Ottawa. “I think the only people who think there is a future for Hockey Canada are the people in the Hockey Canada organization,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in the House of Commons. [L’organisation a] been cut off from everything [son] federal funding. […] Hockey Canada no longer has any credibility and no longer any legitimacy. »
The Bloc Québécois demanded that the government push the reprobation further by opening an independent investigation into the management of the sports federation.
With Alice Zanetta and Boris Proulx