Justin Trudeau wobbled Hockey Canada and said he “understood” Hockey Quebec’s choice to distance itself from the organization, which still refuses to clean up its senior management.
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“I fully understand the choice of Hockey Quebec, which has lost confidence in Hockey Canada like all of us here in Ottawa, like parents […] from one end of this country to the other”, hammered the Prime Minister in a press scrum on Wednesday.
Mr. Trudeau deplores “how Hockey Canada refuses to accept reality” and believes that the organization should undertake an “absolute transformation” in order to “protect this sport that we all love in Canada”.
Hockey Quebec made the decision, Tuesday evening, to affirm that it no longer has “confidence in the ability of the Federation to act effectively to change the culture of hockey with the structure in place”, revealed The Press Wednesday morning.
Beyond words, the Quebec organization has simultaneously decided that it will suspend for an indefinite period the transfers of $ 3 to Hockey Canada taken from the registration fees paid by the parents.
This decision fell after the passage in parliamentary committee, Tuesday morning, of the interim chair of the board of directors of Hockey Canada and the former president, who was the only one to jump ship as the storm of scandals rocked the organization last summer.
The Minister of Sports, Pascale St-Onge, hopes that Hockey Quebec’s decision will provoke other similar positions elsewhere in Canada.
“I think the movement to reform Hockey Canada is underway. [et que] Hockey Quebec’s decision will be followed by other organizations,” she said.
“As a parent of a hockey player who has paid a membership fee, I would like to salute the leadership of Hockey Quebec for their decision not to send the registration fees to Hockey Canada! A first domino finally falls. Enough is enough!” said Sébastien Lemire, Bloc Québécois spokesperson for Sports.
Very active in the file, he was delighted with the “leadership” of Hockey Quebec.