Hockey Canada said it must “do more” to ensure safety in its sport.
The national organization issued a statement after the federal government cut off its funding in response to its handling of an alleged sexual assault case and subsequent settlement with the victim.
“Hockey Canada is deeply committed to a hockey culture where everyone feels safe and that all Canadians can be proud of,” said spokesperson Esther Madziya. We are actively working on it. »
“We recognize that as leaders we need to do more — and we are committed to doing so. In the days and months to come, Canadians can expect to learn more about our work in this regard,” added Madziya.
The press release also recognizes the funding conditions of the Minister of Sports, Pascale St-Onge.
Minister said Wednesday Hockey Canada will resume receiving public funds only when it obtains an incomplete investigation report from an independent firm into an incident that allegedly happened four years ago and involved eight players on the sidelines of a gala held in London, Ontario.
St-Onge added that the sports federation will also have to join the Office of the Integrity Commissioner, a new government agency with the power to independently investigate complaints of abuse and impose sanctions.
Hockey Canada president Scott Smith and outgoing chief operating officer Tom Renney were questioned by lawmakers on Parliament Hill earlier this week.
This was done during a meeting of the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage, on the organization’s handling of the alleged incident in London.
“We were all waiting for answers to the many questions about how they handled the situation,” St-Onge said. Unfortunately, we haven’t had many responses. »
Other testimony will be heard by this committee on July 26 and 27.
Hockey Canada settled the lawsuit last month after a woman claimed she was assaulted by members of the 2018 world championship gold-medal junior hockey team outside a gala and event golf.
The woman, now 24, was seeking C$3.55 million in damages from Hockey Canada, the Canadian Hockey League and Players Anonymous.
Details of the settlement have not been made public, but Scott Smith said Monday that Hockey Canada provided the funds, adding that no government money was used.
St-Onge ordered a check to make sure this is indeed the case.
None of the allegations against Players Anonymous have been proven in court.