Hockey Canada sexual assault scandal
During continued hearings that month, interim Hockey Canada board chair Andrea Skinner stated that the settlement for the 2018 case was a means to resolve it in a "respectful" manner without a trial.
The gold-winning Canadian team[6] then attended the Hockey Canada Foundation Gala & Golf event on June 18, 2018,[7] where shortly after, an alleged group assault in London, Ontario took place.
The specific players were not identified, but it was stated that the group included members of Canada's gold medal-winning 2018 World Junior Championship team.
"[13] In addition, the woman states that she could not give consent to any of the actions because of how intoxicated she was and that the group of eight (John Does 1–8) would not let her leave the room, despite multiple attempts by the victim.
[13] Lawyers representing the players released text messages and videos to The Globe and Mail alleging that the woman consented to sexual acts with John Does 1–8.
[24] Top sponsors, including Tim Hortons, Canadian Tire, Scotiabank, and Imperial Oil (which markets the Esso brand in Canada), withdrew support from the 2023 World Juniors and the entire 2022–23 season.
[27] The audit commissioned by the federal government found that Hockey Canada did not use public funds to settle sexual assault cases or pay for related legal fees.
[20] In addition, Hockey Canada disallowed all players from the 2018 World Juniors Men's team from competing in international competition until the investigation and adjudicative process of the alleged sexual assault has been completed.
[31] In June 2022, federal Minister for Sport Pascale St-Onge called for a forensic audit into whether taxpayer funding was used to pay out sexual assault settlements.
[32] The inquiry included claims that none of the players allegedly involved in the incident were compelled to participate in its investigations, and revealed that Hockey Canada had received one or two reports of assault per-year in the last five to six years.
MP Anthony Housefather felt that keeping the accused players anonymous was "troubling", since "[potential] perpetrators of a criminal act" may still be playing, and possibly be in the NHL.
[34] On July 18, 2022, it was reported that Hockey Canada had maintained a reserve to pay for "uninsured liabilities", including "potential claims for historical sexual abuse".
The information was contained within an affidavit filed in an Ontario court in July 2021 by Hockey Canada's vice-president of insurance and risk management Glen McCurdie.
"[35] On July 27, 2022, Smith testified to the Heritage Committee that between 1989 and the May 2022 settlement, Hockey Canada spent $8.9 million to settle 21 sexual misconduct lawsuits.
[38][39] Hockey broadcaster Paul Romanuk noted the significance of the settlement first being reported by a writer for TSN—Hockey Canada's long-time media partner—telling the Toronto Star that "[the World Junior Championship] is associated with TSN as a brand, massively.
"[18] After the existence of the reserve fund was revealed, Hockey Canada issued a letter stating that it planned to reopen its investigation into the 2018 incident, admitting that "we know we have not done enough to address the actions of some members of the 2018 national junior team or to end the culture of toxic behaviour within our game.
"[35] On July 19, 2022, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau remarked that he found it "hard for anyone" to trust Hockey Canada, stating that he understood "why so many Canadians who take such pride in our national winter sport are absolutely disgusted by what's going on.
"[42] During the committee hearings, Smith stated that he would not step down as president and CEO of Hockey Canada, explaining that he would "not walk away from the demands you have rightly put before us".
The plan includes the development of a confidential reporting system for "complaints of maltreatment, abuse or harassment" among the participants of activities sanctioned by Hockey Canada, an "enhanced character screening for all high-performance players", and a "comprehensive review of all existing training programs by an independent specialist."
[51][52][53] The 2022 World Junior Championships in Edmonton—which had been curtailed and rescheduled to August 2022 due to COVID-19 issues—subsequently featured no in-arena sponsorships besides that of IIHF global sponsor Tissot.
Media outlets credited the rescheduling, the Hockey Canada scandal, as well as the removal and replacement of Russia with Latvia due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, as possible factors in the decline.
[39] During hearings on October 4, 2022, Skinner stated that the May 2022 settlement was conducted at the advice of its legal counsel; the board wanted to resolve the case in a "respectful", "victim-centred" manner, with concern that a trial process could be traumatizing to the plaintiff.
[60] A Tim Hortons representative stated that the organization "needs to take strong and definitive action before it can regain the faith and trust of Canadians", and that the company will still sponsor its youth, women's, and sledge hockey programs.
