Joshua Clipperton, The Canadian Press Posted Tuesday, 19 July 2022 20:40 EDT Last Updated on Tuesday, 19 July 2022 22:19 EDT
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau understands the public’s frustration and displeasure with Hockey Canada.
He shares many of these same feelings.
Trudeau broke the federation’s leadership on Tuesday following revelations he maintains a fund intended to deal with sexual abuse claims.
“I think right now it’s hard for someone in Canada to have faith in or trust someone in Hockey Canada,” he told reporters at an event on Bowen Island, BC.
“What we’re learning … is absolutely unacceptable.”
Hockey Canada has been under intense scrutiny since May, when it became known that the organization had quietly resolved a lawsuit filed by a woman alleging she was assaulted by eight unnamed players, including team members. Junior World Championships 2018, after a gala in London, Ontario. ., Four years ago.
Since then, the organization has been cut off from federal funding due to case management and liquidation, while several corporations have paused sponsorship money.
Trudeau, who added that the situation is “completely outrageous” when he responded in French, said government support would remain frozen “pending major reforms, transparency and accountability.”
The Canadian press was the first to report on Monday that Hockey Canada has maintained the fund, which comes from membership fees charged nationwide, to pay for uninsured responsibilities, including sexual abuse claims.
The detail was included in a July 2021 affidavit sworn in by Glen McCurdie, who was then vice president of insurance and risk management for Hockey Canada, as part of a lawsuit filed by an injured player in Ontario.
“Hockey Canada maintains a reserve in a segregated account to pay for uninsured liabilities as they arise,” said McCurdie’s affidavit, which goes on to say that “uninsured liabilities include possible claims for historical sexual abuse.”
Hockey Canada confirmed this Tuesday in a statement that it has a so-called “National Equity Fund” to cover a “wide range of expenses related to security, welfare and equity initiatives.”
“The fund is also used to pay the organization’s insurance premiums and to cover any claims that are not covered by insurance policies, including those related to physical injury, harassment and sexual misconduct,” says the communiqué.
Hockey Canada added that the fund was “established in a manner consistent with reserve funds held by other major national organizations.”
“When I think of the culture that is apparently permeating the highest levels of this organization, I can understand why so many parents, why so many Canadians who are so proud of our national winter sport, are absolutely disgusted by what is happening.” , Trudeau. he said Tuesday. “As a government, we will continue to be unequivocal in our condemnation of what we are learning.
“And especially in our demands that things change significantly.”
Hockey Canada CEO Scott Smith testified before the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage in Ottawa last month that no government money was used to solve the alleged assault, both of which were first reported by TSN in May. .
The woman had been seeking more than $ 3.5 million in damages to Hockey Canada, the Canadian Hockey League and unidentified players.
None of the allegations have been proven in court.
The NHL is conducting its own investigation because many of the players in the 2018 World Junior Team are now in the league, but it does not require participation.
The forwards of the St. Louis Blues Robert Thomas and Jordan Kyrou on Tuesday posted separate statements on social media saying they had no involvement in the alleged incident.
Anaheim Ducks center agent Sam Steel also issued a statement saying his client “did not engage in any of the misconduct described in the media.”
Chicago Blackhawks winger Taylor Raddysh said in a Twitter post that he only found out about the allegations in 2019.
Four other players from that team – Calle Makar, Victor Mete, Conor Timmins and Jonah Gadjovich – have also publicly stated that they were not involved.
McCurdie, who retired in December, was not present at the committee’s proceedings last month due to his father’s death, but the committee has called for a later round of meetings to begin next Tuesday.
Hockey Canada last week released a carefully worded open letter with a series of promises, including the promise to reopen an incomplete third-party investigation into the alleged assault and a full government review.
“We know we haven’t done enough to address the actions of some members of the 2018 junior national team or to end the culture of toxic behavior within our game,” Hockey Canada wrote last week.
“That’s why we apologize unreservedly.”
Smith, who took over from Tom Renney as CEO on July 1, told Parliament Hill last month that Hockey Canada reported a total of three allegations of sexual assault in recent years, but did not talk about the other two in front of the committee.
He added that there have been up to two allegations of sexual misconduct each in the last five or six years.
Hockey Canada said in its open letter that player participation in third-party investigation into the London incident will be mandatory – unlike before – and that anyone who declines will be banned from all activities and programs.
Smith stated last month that “12 or 13” of the 19 players were interviewed before the original, incomplete investigation was completed in September 2020.
The woman’s lawyer said in an email last week that her client, who did not participate in the initial investigation or spoke to police, “will be involved in the Hockey Canada investigation.”
“I’m very, very concerned about the culture, which has apparently reached the highest levels of the organization,” Trudeau said of Hockey Canada Tuesday in French.
“It’s essential, really crucial, that there is a new approach and that there is oversight, accountability and accountability.”
-With Amy Smart files in Bowen Island, BC
This report from The Canadian Press was first published on July 19, 2022.