Sports Minister Pascale St-Onge said in a statement Wednesday that Hockey Canada would have restored funding only when it revealed the improvement recommendations provided by a third-party law firm hired to investigate the alleged incident four years ago. Hockey Canada must also sign the Office of the Integrity Commissioner, a new government agency with the power to independently investigate allegations of abuse and impose sanctions for misconduct. “Hockey Canada will not receive any further payments or new funding from Sport Canada until it complies with these terms,” St-Onge said in a statement. The move comes after Canada Hockey President Scott Smith and outgoing CEO Tom Renee were criticized by lawmakers earlier this week during a hearing of the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage on the agency’s response to the alleged attack with eight players. “The testimony of Hockey Canada did not provide us with sufficient information,” St-Onge said in a statement. “We have not learned much and what we have learned is deeply disturbing.” CLOCKS Hockey Canada denies public funds used to settle allegations of sexual assault:
Hockey Canada Denies Public Funds Used to Settle Sexual Assault Complaints
Hockey Canada officials told a parliamentary committee that he did not use public funding to pay for a settlement following allegations of sexual assault against players. Hockey Canada quietly settled the lawsuit last month after a woman claimed to have been attacked by members of the world junior hockey team that won the country’s 2018 gold medal in June of that year at a Hockey Canada event in London, Ont. The woman, now 24, was seeking $ 3.55 million in damages from Hockey Canada, the Canadian Hockey League and anonymous players. Details of the settlement have not been made public, but Smith said Monday that no money was used by the government or security. St-Onge said it learned of the allegations and the settlement just two days before TSN announced the story late last month after receiving a phone call from Renney. A Hockey Canada spokeswoman did not respond to a request for comment on Wednesday.
The criminal investigation closed in 2019
Hockey Canada hired Toronto law firm Henein Hutchison LLP to conduct its investigation, but Smith and Renney told lawmakers present at the London event they were not instructed to attend. Reney initially said four to six of those 19 players spoke to investigators before Smith later indicated the number was 12 or 13. Hockey Canada has repeatedly said that the woman decided not to speak to the police or her investigators. Smith and Renney reiterated Monday that the woman also chose not to identify the players. Smith said London police informed Hockey Canada of his criminal investigation in February 2019. The independent investigation was completed in September 2020, but Renney said the report was incomplete and should not be made public. “We do not have much more to offer in terms of information in this direction,” he testified on Monday.
‘Inadmissible’
“Hockey Canada said it would not share with the committee the advice it received from the independent company … or how they plan to respond,” St-Onge said Wednesday. “We also heard that the independent investigation was not completed, nor were the eight John Doe players identified. “This is unacceptable.” The NHL, which has also only recently learned of the allegations, is conducting its own investigation because some of those players are now in the league. Hockey Canada received $ 14 million from Ottawa in 2020 and 2021, including $ 3.4 million in COVID-19 grants, according to government records obtained by CBC and TSN. Smith testified that Hockey Canada has reported three sexual assault allegations in recent years, including the London incident, but would not discuss the other two before the committee. “I can not comment on the level of research of the other two,” Smith said, adding that there have been one or two complaints of sexual misconduct in each of the past five or six years. Not good enough, according to St-Onge. “I can not accept this standard as usual in our national sports organizations,” he said. “Canadians should not either.” Federal money accounts for 6% of Hockey Canada funding, according to the organization’s numbers, development and partnerships (43%), funding agencies (14%), premiums (13%) and revenue from interest (10 percent). cent).
