Hockey Canada disclosed the number of incidents of alleged abuse, harassment or discrimination it has reported to Sports Canada since 2018. This is after the president of Hockey Canada testified late at the Commons Heritage Commission. July said there were fewer cases reported than the figure Sports Canada officials gave lawmakers the day before.
Since then, Sports Canada has told CBC News that another case was reported by Hockey Canada the day after officials appeared as witnesses, bringing the total number of cases revealed in the past four years to He said there were nine cases.
Since 2018, as a condition of federal funding agreements, national sports organizations like Hockey Canada have banned harassment, abuse, or are required to disclose an incident of discrimination immediately.
Incidents should also be reported to the appropriate authorities, which may include the police if a criminal investigation is required. Sports organizations should have formal policies in place to prevent harassment and abuse and to address any cases that arise, including providing access to independent third parties to conduct investigations and recommendations.
Sport Canada unable to investigate incidents
During testimony before the Commission on July 26, Michel, the senior director of Sport Canada's program, said: Ruest was questioned by Bloc MP. Andréanne Larouche explained the exact number of reported incidents in each year (2018-2022) since Hockey Canada requested these disclosures in its funding agreement.
Ruest said he had eight reports in a confidential database.
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According to Ruest, confidential details of the allegations contained in these reports were communicated internally on specific occasions, but specific details No, only overall statistics were shared with the minister's office. SportsHe said Canada had no authority to investigate these cases and that disclosures to the government contained "minimal information." public domain.
In response to an emailed follow-up question from CBC News, Sport Canada sorted the reports in its database by year:
- in 2018. Two reports.
- One in 2019.
- 3 in 2020.
- One in 2021.
- in 2022. The year
was reported. Sports Canada does not necessarily coincide with the year in which the alleged incident occurred.
Based on testimony from the Canadian Hockey Commission, the first reported case in 2022 was an alleged gang sexual assault by members of Canada's national junior hockey team in 2003, in New South Occurred in Halifax, Wales, currently under police investigation. It only became public knowledge, and hockey officials, in their testimony, said Hockey Canada itself - in a TSN report earlier this summer.
} Officials said they had only heard "rumors" weeks before TSN released its findings, but reported it to Sports Canada as soon as the media reports emerged.
Cases
When he first appeared before the Commission on June 20, Hockey Canada President Scott Smith told the Commission he was not ready to speak on specific incidents. During testimony before the committee on July 27, Smith was asked by New Democratic Rep. Peter He Julian if he was ready to speak about the details of the ongoing investigation.
This time, Smith said that one of his Canadian-reported incidents in hockey 2018 was the collective sexuality against young Canadian women. I was ready to make sure it was an alleged assault. By members of the 2018 National Junior Team, London, Ontario. The case became public after he reported on TSN last spring about a settlement Hockey Canada paid a young woman.
Mr. Smith told the Commission that, in addition to his two investigations involving members of the 2003 and his 2018 national junior teams, he also had another investigation into him that was unrelated to sexual misconduct. The total number of reports brought to the sport. Canada from Hockey Canada to his four, he told MPs.
According to Smith, his two other reports were for his 2018 and his 2021 years, because his son and daughter were barred from youth hockey registration. related to family members who allege abusive behavior against Arina's father.
CBC News Hockey He asked Canada why Sports Canada's testimony said he had received eight incident reports from that organization, but the next day Smith told his MP He told Sports Canada he had four reports.
Hockey Canada spokesperson Jeremy Knight responded that Smith believed Julian's question was about the public inquiry, not the total number of reports.
“Mr Smith's response refers to four unresolved investigations that were reported to Sports Canada as appropriate. No," Knight said.
Knight's responses suggest that investigations into his four reported cases in 2019 and 2020 are now closed or closed.
No details regarding the results of these investigations or the nature of the incidents, including allegations of assault, abuse, harassment or discrimination, have been made public by either Hockey Canada or Sports Canada. .
New Case Reported Day After Testimony
The incident reported by Hockey Canada on July 28, the day after testimony before the Commission, was "not a formal case."
Ariane Joazard-Bélizaire said a person contacted Hockey Canada to report "possible abuse of players in the Northwest Territories." I asked for information on the process of doing so," he said.
Hockey Canada advised the person to contact the police and provided the person with information regarding an independent third-party mechanism to handle such cases, the minister said. spokesperson said.
The number of incidents reported by the hockey official to his Sport Canada was not the only confusing aspect of the July 27 testimony.
The MP also asked Canadian hockey officials the exact amount paid to sexual abuse complainants. The amount presented during the committee meeting — totaling $8.9 million from the organization's National Equity Fund and insurance proceeds — actually included allegations in his 2018 gang rape involving members of the Junior Team. It did not include the settlement money paid to the person.
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This omission only became apparent after the commission, when a journalist was questioning Smith in the corridor after his testimony. The president said the audited financial statements, including the settlement to the young woman in the incident in London, Ontario, would not be completed until Hockey Canada's annual meeting, so the totals given to members of parliament included this by the organization.
The exact amount paid to the young woman has not been confirmed, but her claim is for $3.55 million, and Mr. Hockey Canada's board of directors has approved "up to the maximum settlement amount," he told the conference.
"We didn't know all the details of the night [in question], but we believed there was damage," Hockey said. Told.
