KRYK: Hockey Canada scores again by revealing data on discrimination incidents

In another step toward more meaningful transparency, accountability and progress, Hockey Canada on Friday for the first time released a report tracking and summarizing in-sport incidents of discrimination at all levels, nationwide, over one season.

The top takeaway from the 16-page report is that, at least in the 2021-22 season, nearly all incidents of discriminatory behaviour in Canada were perpetrated by male players, mostly in the midget to junior-hockey age range, 15-21.

Statistical revelations in the report, which Hockey Canada admits might not be comprehensive of all incidents last season, include the following:

• In 2021-22 there were 512 events of discrimination witnessed by an on-ice official, 75 of which resulted in suspensions, all of which resulted in a gross misconduct penalty.
• All but 1% of the incidents involved players between the ages of 12-21, and none below age 12.
• Only 1% of incidents involved females.
• Players were responsible for 96% of discriminatory actions, the rest were coaches or bench personnel.
• A significant majority of discriminatory language or actions, 61%, pertained to sexual orientation or gender identification, with 18% race-related and 11% disability-related.
• Nearly all incidents occurred either at the U18 age division (55%), U15 (27%) or junior level (10%).
• Some 76% of incidents occurred in competitive leagues, the rest in recreational.
• Among another 415 reported incidents that, in contrast, were not witnessed by an on-ice official, demographic percentages were comparatively similar in several of the above categories. For instance, 100% of incidents occurred in ages 11-21; 70% occurred in competitive leagues; and players were responsible for 76% of alleged discriminatory behaviour.
• But race-related allegations were much higher in non-witnessed incidents, specifically 47%, with 40% pertaining to sexual orientation or gender identification.
• In minor, women’s and senior hockey, a gross misconduct penalty for discrimination necessarily resulted in a minimum five-game suspension, pending a hearing.
• This season, 2022-23, junior hockey adopted the five-game-minimum suspension.

Hockey Canada has been awash in a series of controversies — and been the target of intense coast-to-coast criticism — since news broke in May that it settled out of court with a young woman in London, Ont. She claimed four years ago she was sexually assaulted and threatened into silence by eight unnamed star junior hockey players, many from Canada’s 2018 World Juniors champions.

Earlier this fall Hockey Canada confirmed the woman was paid the full $3.55 million she had been seeking in a civil suit.

For more than four months, Hockey Canada’s top leaders refused to step down. But by early October, all principal Hockey Canada business partners either pulled or withheld sponsorship funding, unless more substantive leadership changes and operational overhauls took place.

Finally, in the second week of October, embattled CEO and president Scott Smith left the national sports organization (NSO), and all eight members of Hockey Canada’s board of directors either resigned or agreed to step down once replacements were elected later this month.

A House of Commons standing committee continues to probe Hockey Canada over egregious actions pertaining to its handling of the 2018 payoff, and other since-disclosed outrages, including how the NSO grows, manages and uses its various, multi-million-dollar liability reserve funds, which in part have been supplied by player registration fees. MPs have held four public hearings since June at which they grilled hockey leaders, present and past.

What’s more, a former Supreme Court of Canada justice — at the behest of Hockey Canada itself — in October completed his review of the organization’s governance structure and practices, and recommended a slew of sweeping leadership and operational changes.

Even before its doomed leaders departed, Hockey Canada in summer and early fall actually did act dutifully and responsibly in some ways. The organization since mid-October has been roundly praised for actions and statements seen as far more earnest attempts to do what is right, in trying to win back the nation’s trust and respect.

Friday’s report on discrimination is the continuation of another positive step.

In leading off the report, Hockey Canada explained that in partnership with its 13 member organizations coast-to-coast-to-coast, they “are working to identify, track and report all instances of abuse, maltreatment and harassment in hockey across the country.

“As a first step in this work, Hockey Canada members have tracked and reported all incidents of verbal taunts, insults or intimidation based on discriminatory grounds, which occurred during the 2021-22 season …

“Hockey Canada is committed to ensuring greater safety and inclusiveness in hockey by identifying and addressing systemic issues in and around Canada’s game.”

In June 2021, nearly a full year before this year’s scandals broke, Hockey Canada and its member organizations already had unanimously moved to add “Section 11” to its rulebook, to address the “causes and consequences of maltreatment” in the sport.

A subset rule that went into effect for 2021-22 — named “Rule 11.4 — discrimination” — mandated that written reports of any such maltreatment be filed, “in order to better address and monitor occurrences over time, while developing long-term theories (to) implement effective solutions.”

The organization said the “data contained in (Friday’s) report is a critically important first step in Hockey Canada’s ongoing efforts to better track, identify and respond to maltreatment in hockey. Building on this work, Hockey Canada intends to progressively expand tracking and reporting efforts, with a view to publicly reporting on all instances of maltreatment, abuse and harassment by the 2023-24 season.”

In addition, Hockey Canada is now a full signatory to the national independent program initiated by Sport Canada, Abuse-Free Sport, whose charge is to prevent and address complaints of abuse, discrimination and harassment in all sports nationwide.

Hockey Canada has commissioned an additional independent third party that receives and investigates all “serious maltreatment complaints” in hockey, with Hockey Canada having no role other than to receive numeric data that categorizes these incidents, such as data released in Friday’s report.

All alleged perpetrators and victims of discrimination are not revealed to Hockey Canada, or publicly.

Hockey Canada’s annual meeting, originally scheduled for last month, takes place two weeks from Saturday. An entirely new interim board of directors is expected to be elected, in processes recommended by Thomas Cromwell, the retired Supreme Court justice.

JoKryk@postmedia.com

@JohnKryk