Senior Hockey Canada officials defended themselves Monday by assuring that it was “very common” to settle a civil dispute out of court, such as that of the alleged victim of a gang rape allegedly committed by eight of its players. The Federal Sports Minister promises to tighten federal control.
“We are not able to know what happened that night,” dropped Tom Renney, CEO of Hockey Canada before the elected officials of the federal heritage committee, Monday evening.
The organization claims not to have wanted to “hide under the rug” the allegations of sexual assault against unidentified players, even if it settled out of court, four years after the events, the lawsuit brought by the alleged victim.
Officials, however, said they were made aware of the case on the morning of June 19, 2018, the day after the Hockey Canada Foundation gala in London, Ont. They claim to have notified the local police and officials of Sports Canada in the hours that followed.
Hockey Canada, presented by the federal Minister of Sports as “one of the most powerful sports organizations in the country”, then hired an outside firm to conduct the investigation and said it had provided assistance to the victim. The latter did not want to participate in the investigation, which made managers say that it was impossible to take disciplinary action against the young athletes involved.
These managers were unable to say how many of the 19 players present on the evening of the events collaborated in the external investigation. They first estimated this number to be “from 4 to 6”, and then changed this estimate to “12 or 13”. Elected officials from all parties have been very skeptical of the comments made by Hockey Canada officials, and its expressed desire to correct the existing “vagueness” in its code of conduct regarding off-ice activities, such as a gala .
Public funds
The federal Minister of Sports, Pascale St-Onge, then appeared before the committee by delivering a committed speech against the “culture of silence” which seemed to further convince the elected members of the committee, including those of the opposition. In particular, she promised to “review completely [les] funding agreements” with sports organizations to require that they have effective whistleblowing mechanisms, for example.
Hockey Canada maintains that it did not use public funds for the amicable settlement with the alleged victim, but rather an account dedicated to this kind of contingency. To be sure, the minister said that she will continue with the audit she had already announced. The firm hired by the federal government must notably visit the offices of Hockey Canada next week, and must report at the end of August.
The minister defended public funding of the organization, despite this case. “Hockey Canada is also a women’s team. It’s more than just that story,” she said. Federal funding is the only lever through which it can intervene in the affairs of hockey, she argued.
Since 2018, no less than 47 complaints have been lodged with her ministry, for a wide variety of cases, the minister specified, ranging from psychological harassment to sexual crimes.
New Sports Integrity Commissioner
The appearance by senior Hockey Canada officials comes on the first day of the newly created position of Canada’s Sport Integrity Commissioner, filled by former National Artistic Swimming Team athlete Sarah -Eve Pelletier.
“What we want to avoid is that people have no one to turn to,” explained Ms. Pelletier in an interview with the To have to.
Initially, the Commissioner can only receive complaints, investigate or issue recommendations to sports federations that voluntarily agree to delegate this power to her. On Monday, only Volleyball Canada and the Canadian Weightlifting Federation were signatories. Several other sports organizations are about to complete their registration, however, assures the new commissioner.
Could the commissioner examine situations of aggression committed by athletes against non-athletes, such as the alleged crime at Hockey Canada? “If there is a link with sports activities, then yes, we will at the very least look at what happened,” assures Ms. Pelletier, without wanting to comment on the specific case and recalling that the respondent must do part of a signatory organization.
Minister Pascale St-Onge promised Monday evening to ensure that all sports organizations in the country are required to join the independent body, a “safe place for athletes to file their complaints”. She did not specify what the timeline would be.