After saying that members of the Board of Directors and senior management of Hockey Canada should resign en masse because of poor judgment and severe disconnection from reality, a question arises: from here, what do we do ?
Posted at 7:45 a.m.
My opinion: it is necessary to “re-found” the organization, to rebuild it from scratch on solid, healthy and modern bases.
First step: the Minister of Sports, Pascale St-Onge, whose leadership in this affair has been remarkable from the start, should convene a general meeting on the future of this federation.
For a novice in politics — she was elected for the first time last September in Brome-Missisquoi — the minister has acted with remarkable firmness since the beginning of the crisis. Telling your four truths to Hockey Canada’s boys’ club, long the most prestigious sports federation in the country, is a sign of strong leadership. Here is a politician who delivers the substance of her thought and acts accordingly.
The Estates General I dream of would bring together people from across Canada. Their mission: to take stock of the situation and establish a new action plan. A bit like the committee on the future of Quebec hockey, set up by the Legault government, which produced an interesting report.
Will this document – unveiled last spring – have any real consequences? On that, bets are off. On the other hand, the work on the future of Hockey Canada should necessarily lead to the application of concrete measures since it is urgent to relaunch the organization.
Who would participate in these Estates General? I propose a few names, a list which is not exhaustive.
In the front row, Hayley Wickenheiser. Quadruple gold medalist at the Olympic Games, she has accomplished a thousand exploits on the ice.
PHOTO ANDRÉ PICHETTE, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Hayley Wickenheiser at the Vancouver Olympics in 2010
At the 2014 Sochi Olympics, Wickenheiser was elected a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Athletes’ Commission for an eight-year term. His “electoral platform”, unveiled in a declaration submitted to all the athletes present at these Games, went to the essentials.
“I will ensure that your efforts, your sweat, your tears and your sacrifices are not dominated by the high stakes of the sport, she had written. The Olympics are YOU, the athletes. Without your determination and commitment, the Olympic movement would simply not exist. »
Wickenheiser has fulfilled its commitment. In March 2020, as the Tokyo Games approached, she sounded the alarm about their holding in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. At the time, the IOC was campaigning hard to minimize the risks.
“I believe that the position of the IOC, stated with insistence, is insensitive and irresponsible given the world situation,” she said then, adding: “It is not known what will happen in 24 hours, let alone in the next three months. »
Five days later, Canada announced that it would not participate in these Games, a decision that caused a domino effect. The Games were eventually postponed for a year.
In addition to getting involved in the Olympic movement, and daring to question the orientations of its main leaders, Wickenheiser continued his studies in medicine.
She was also hired by the Toronto Maple Leafs, where she is now assistant to general manager Kyle Dubas.
In an interview at Toronto Star earlier this summer, Kyle Dubas said of Wickenheiser, “I don’t think you can slow it down. She is able to take more on her shoulders than anyone. »
Another Minister of Sports, that of Quebec, would surely have an important contribution to make. Chef de mission of the Canadian team at the 2018 Olympic Games in PyeongChang, Isabelle Charest knows the sports policy and the functioning of our institutions inside out. She was also very harsh in judging the actions of Hockey Canada over the past few months.
Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) President Tricia Smith would be another top candidate. She somehow “refounded” the COC after the departure of its previous president, Marcel Aubut. His vast experience at all levels of the sport would help make Hockey Canada a renewed organization.
Dominick Gauthier, co-founder of B2Dix, an organization dedicated to the supervision of elite athletes, is in all fights for the defense of athletes’ rights. He denounces the abuses of the federations with precise arguments. He knows the strengths on which an effective federation that respects all stakeholders must rely.
Danielle Sauvageau, who has been at the heart of the development of women’s hockey in Canada for several years, would also enrich the reflection. Just like Jocelyn Thibault, CEO of Hockey Quebec. The father of three young women who play hockey, he recently confided to my colleague Simon-Olivier Lorange the need to change the “culture” of hockey.
I mention these six names, but it is obvious that everywhere in Canada, women and men with a credible background would bring strong ideas.
Will such Estates General see the light of day? I doubt it, although it is clear that a broad reflection is needed on the future of Hockey Canada.
I find it deplorable that at present the only initiative set up to review its functioning has been launched by its board of directors, a completely discredited group.
Former Supreme Court Justice Thomas Cromwell, supported by two lawyers, has the mandate to lead the reflection. It was chosen by people whose first objective is to save their skin. Too bad for him, but it makes him lose much of his moral authority.
It is too late to renovate Hockey Canada.
Instead, we need to “re-found” Hockey Canada.