(Quebec) Members of the Legault government sitting on the parliamentary committee that looked into allegations of violent initiations in junior hockey and student sports on Wednesday refused the opposition’s request to extend the mandate to hear other witnesses.
The deputy of Quebec solidaire (QS), Vincent Marissal, who was at the origin of the order of initiative, had said Wednesday that he wanted to hear other witnesses. Thursday morning, during a committee meeting, government deputies opposed an extension of the mandate.
In a parliamentary committee on Wednesday, the commissioner of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (LHJMQ), Gilles Courteau, promised to table a “locker room code” by 2023-2024, an additional tool to preserve the integrity players. He also assured that the teams in his league were not targeted by the allegations of violent initiations listed in a recent judgment.
“That does not exempt us from thinking. We are not above other leagues. There is a culture in our sport that can be harmful. It’s much nicer to be a QMJHL player today than it could have been 20 years ago. My biggest wish is that it will be nicer in 20 years. […] For the change to be real, speech must be freed up,” said Mr. Courteau.
The director general of Hockey Quebec, Jocelyn Thibault, for his part, stressed that more education is needed and better awareness of players and teams. His organization, he added, also has limits on its powers and resources.
On February 3, an Ontario Superior Court judge dismissed a class action claim filed by three plaintiffs on behalf of the 15,000 players who have played for 50 years in one of the League’s teams. Western Junior League (WHL), Ontario Junior League (OHL) or QMJHL. 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 against the leagues, the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) asked ex-player Sheldon Kennedy, ex-politician Camille Thériault and ex-coach Danièle Sauvageau to assess the situation. . In a survey by the three experts of 259 players who played junior hockey in 2020, 10% of respondents said they were victims of bullying or harassment, while 26% of players said they had witnessed cases of bullying or harassment. bullying or harassment.