Former and current Hockey Canada executives, including commissioners from the country’s junior leagues, will be called upon to speak to the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage (CHPC) next Wednesday in Ottawa on the involvement of the organization in the case of allegations of sexual assault committed in 2018 by athletes.
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Hockey Canada President and COO Scott Smith, his newly retired predecessor Tom Renney, and Hockey Canada Foundation President Dave Andrews will again testify before the CHPC, as they did on 20 last June.
In addition, Canadian Hockey League President Dan MacKenzie, Quebec Major Junior Hockey League Commissioner Gilles Courteau, Ontario Junior League Commissioner David Branch, and Quebec Junior League West, Ron Robison, received a subpoena.
Finally, former vice-president of insurance and risk management Glen McCurdie and Barry Lorenzetti, president and CEO of BFL Canada, a commercial insurance broker involved with Hockey Canada, will also speak.
All of these people will have to answer for the actions alleged by a young woman, who said she was raped by eight players from the national junior team after a gala in Ontario in 2018. Hockey Canada settled the dispute out of court in May, although which he revealed to have a fund used to cover sexual abuse.
Change of fund
In a statement on Wednesday, the organization recalled having launched a complete review of its governance, supervised by an independent third party, and the modification of the use of the national equity fund, which will no longer be used for the settlement of sexual assault claims.
“Hockey Canada is also committed that, going forward, all contributions to the national equity fund will be earmarked for these initiatives related to safety, welfare and fairness, as well as insurance.” , it was said.
“It is common practice for sports organizations to maintain a fund to support victims of sexual assault. If, at the end of the review, such a fund proves to be necessary for Hockey Canada, we will ensure that all claims are approved by an independent third party.
On Tuesday, several other players in the community, including the Minister of Sports Pascale St-Onge, will appear before the CHPC.
