(Quebec) The authors of a report commissioned by the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) on violent initiations in junior hockey were surprised “by the lack of interest” from league officials, who did not asked no questions about the conclusions of their investigation and who took 14 months to reveal their recommendations.
On February 3, the Superior Court of Ontario rejected a class action request that had been filed by three plaintiffs on behalf of the 15,000 players who have played for 50 years in one of the teams of the Junior League of the West (WHL), the Ontario Junior League (OHL) or the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (LHJMQ). The judge refused to receive the class action for technical reasons, but he did not question the veracity of the testimonies. It describes, among other things, acts related to underage players who report sticks inserted into the anus, genital mutilation and victims humiliated by being sprayed with urine or excrement.
Faced with this request for collective action, the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) mandated former player Sheldon Kennedy, former New Brunswick Premier Camille Thériault and former coach Danièle Sauvageau to assess the situation. Their report, submitted in the fall of 2020, noted a “systemic culture of mistreatment” and a “culture of silence” that prevents players from filing complaints. However, they were prohibited, as part of their mandate, from asking questions related to cases of sexual and physical assault.
When the authors of the report presented their findings to the CHL, “we were surprised by the lack of interest,” said Thériault on Wednesday, who was answering questions from Quebec parliamentarians responsible for studying the phenomenon of violent initiations. in the sports world. “No questions were asked of us when we made the presentation [à la ligue] “, he specified.
“We had to stop debating whether or not there were problems of abuse in junior hockey. There are. We had to take action. For me, disappointment […] it was not urgent for the Canadian League to show people the work that had been done and the possible solutions to give them a hand,” added Mr. Thériault.
Is a cloakroom code required?
The co-author of the report, Danièle Sauvageau, was also unimpressed by the commitment made last month by the former commissioner of the QMJHL, Gilles Courteau. The latter said that his league wanted to implement a “locker room code” as of the 2023-2024 season, which anyone with access to the players’ locker room should respect to be admitted.
“The locker room code means that it stays in the locker room. I think it takes a code of life that goes beyond the locker room to ensure that the behaviors that will be in the locker room will also be on the ice and outside, ”she said. Mme Sauvageau, a former coach, also claimed that she had never witnessed violent initiations in women’s hockey.
Public Health wants “a major project”
In a parliamentary committee on Wednesday, the National Institute of Public Health of Quebec (INSPQ) for its part pleaded for the establishment of a “major project” on violent behavior in the world of sport which would bring together both the players’ families, the education sector and the municipalities. Public health experts also want alleged cases of violent acts to be identified in the same way across the leagues in order to be able to document and study this phenomenon.
In its brief, the INSPQ recalls that “violence often has terrible effects on the physical and mental health of those who experience it” and that the latter “will sometimes even pass on their wounds to their loved ones or their children”.
“Although acts of violence can be committed by different types of people, it seems that the majority of interpersonal violence experienced by sportspeople or athletes comes from sportspersons’ or athletes’ peers (teammates or opponents) and that it occurs in different contexts, including […] in the context of sports initiations, ”continue public health experts.
“A meta-analysis of intimidation and hazing experienced by athletes has shown that victims are at risk of developing physical and psychological health problems. [comme la] depression, anxiety, eating disorders, post-traumatic stress symptoms and suicidal ideation,” they added.
Tuesday, in parliamentary committee, the acting commissioner of the LHJMQ, Martin Lavallée, also affirmed that the league had launched an “independent investigation” concerning allegations of events “of a sexual nature” which would have occurred in the 1990s. When we were made aware of the situation, we went on a quest for information, which led us to set up an independent investigation to make sure we got to the bottom of it,” he said.