The Canadian Heritage Committee of the House of Commons is investigating the organization’s handling of past assault allegations, including the removal of a reserve funded by player fees to pay “uninsurable liabilities” such as sexual abuse claims. “I’m not surprised,” Brock McGillis, an LGBTQIA2S+ advocate and the first openly gay professional men’s hockey player, told CTV News Channel on Thursday. “That’s the culture of hockey, that’s it, that’s what I’ve been saying since 2016 and it needs a complete overhaul.” On Wednesday, it was revealed that Hockey Canada has paid $7.6 million in nine settlements dating back to 1989 involving allegations of sexual assault and abuse. Of that, $6.8 million was related to settlements related to Graham James, a former hockey coach convicted of sexually abusing players. The $7.6 million does not include an undisclosed amount from a settlement, revealed in May, with a woman who sued Hockey Canada over an alleged sexual assault in London, Ont., involving members of Canada’s 2018 world junior hockey team. The allegations have not been proven in court. Hockey Canada has reopened its independent investigation into the case, which reportedly took place after a Hockey Canada gala, and the law firm handling it says it has interviewed the complainant. The organization also plans to speak with nine players who were at the gala but were not interviewed in the original investigation in 2018. Hockey Canada officials said the woman decided not to speak to police or investigators and chose not to identify the players involved at the time. Police in London, Ont., have reopened their investigation into the 2018 team. Halifax police are also investigating a historic alleged gang sexual assault at the 2003 world junior hockey championship. Meanwhile, Hockey Canada has been criticized for maintaining a reserve called the National Equity Fund, which comes from player fees that is used for “uninsured liabilities,” including but not limited to sexual abuse claims. Hockey Canada has since said it will no longer use the fund to settle sexual assault claims. “I think it’s disgusting, I think it’s sad,” McGillis said of the reserve fund. “… I mean to play AAA hockey, parents pay over $20,000 a year for their kid to play and then find out some of that money is being used to pay sexual assault victims. And what’s more, instead of do Proactive things like using money to really change culture, humanize issues and educate people, we use it in a reactive way to pay and silence victims.”
CALLS FOR THE RESIGNATION OF THE LEADERSHIP OF HOCKEY CANADA
McGillis and others have called for a change in leadership at Hockey Canada. Among those calling for the resignation of Hockey Canada president and CEO Scott Smith is former NHL player and victims’ rights advocate Sheldon Kennedy. Kennedy has spoken of a culture change in hockey following his own experience of abuse by then-coach Graham James. Kennedy shared a statement Tuesday on Twitter after Hockey Canada released an “action plan” to combat the “toxic” culture in its sport. Smith said that while an ongoing governance review may determine he is not the best person to serve in the role, he believes he is “the right person to lead Hockey Canada to a new place.” Politicians, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, have also taken aim at Hockey Canada. In June, the federal government suspended funding for the agency. McGillis said the recent events could prove to be a “critical moment” for Hockey Canada, but noted that it will depend on whether a new leadership team and board of directors is put in place. “I’m not completely optimistic yet, but I’m more encouraged than I’ve been in the last six years of doing this job,” he said. Brady Leavold, a former Canadian Hockey League player and founder of Puck Support, an organization focused on substance abuse and mental health in hockey, told CTV News Channel on Wednesday that as one of the leading organizations in the country, Hockey Canada must “put on and go above and beyond”. “I think initially I wanted to give them the benefit of the doubt, but as more things start to come out, it’s pretty clear to me that trust has been broken and this is one of the most prestigious organizations here in Canada,” he said. . “And whether it was or not, I think people here should be able to trust the people in charge and in my opinion, sitting here today, I think they should do their due diligence and do the right thing for everybody and step down. “ In a statement issued Thursday, Ann Pegoraro, a University of Guelph professor and co-director of the National Research Network for Gender Equality in Canadian Sport, said if Hockey Canada wants to regain the trust of Canadians, those in leadership must step down . He also called for more diversity in the management of all sports. “You can’t really solve problems like this when you have the same people and mindsets that created the problems in the first place,” he said in the statement. With files from CTV News and The Canadian Press
