Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Tuesday accused Hockey Canada of using a multimillion-dollar fund to pay for such settlements.The existence of the fund was first determined by Globe and Mailwhich said it “raises new questions about how Canadian hockey handles allegations of sexual assault” at a time when the group is under scrutiny over its handling of an alleged incident involving members of the country’s 2018 World Youth Team.
“I think it’s hard for anyone in Canada right now to trust or trust anyone in Hockey Canada,” Trudeau tell reporters. “What we are learning is absolutely unacceptable.”
According to The Globe and Mail, as of 2016 more than $15 million in national equity funds were drawn from registration fees paid by players across the country. The organization “regularly uses the funds to settle sexual abuse claims against the Canadian Hockey Association, its officers and directors, former coaches or volunteers,” and it “has no insurance company and little external scrutiny.”
in the comments Field eventsCanadian MP Chris Bittle called the fund “absolutely shocking because most Canadians would think the country’s preeminent sports organisation just had a slush fund based on child registration fees to pay for sex.” Violation case.”
“It’s also troubling that building this project is more of a concern than actually addressing a culture that causes an organization to raise its hand and say it needs this funding,” added Bittle.
The latest news comes as Hockey Canada, the national governing body for ice hockey, grapples with the aftermath of its handling of an incident in which a woman alleging she was sexually assaulted Made up of eight members of the country’s 2018 World Youth Team following the Canadian Hockey Foundation golf event in June of that year. This led to a police criminal investigation, which ended in 2019. Another investigation by a law firm hired by the Canadian Hockey Association concluded in 2020.
In April, the woman filed a lawsuit accusing eight players of an assault in a hotel room in London, Ontario. She seeks C$3.55 million in damages, but settled with the Canadian Hockey Association in May for an undisclosed amount.
The last few days, Some player from The 2018 World Youth Team has distanced itself, issuing a statement denying involvement in the incident. London police on Wednesday ordered an internal review of their preliminary investigation, and later in the day Hockey Canada announced that the fund would no longer be used to settle sexual assault claims.
Hockey Canada officials faced questions from lawmakers last month about the organization’s practices and procedures, including whether it used taxpayer money in an out-of-court settlement, which the former CEO expressed skepticism about. Tom Rainey says No government funds were used.Canadian Sports Minister Pascale St-Onge says the government will Freeze federal funding for hockey Canadaand several companies associated with Hockey Canada suspend their sponsorship Members of the group include Tim Hortons and Scotiabank.
In an open letter last Thursday, the Canadian Hockey Association outlined several planned organizational changes, including reopen its investigation The alleged attack.
“We know we haven’t done enough to address the behavior of some members of the National Youth Team in 2018, or to end the culture of toxic behavior in our games,” Hockey Canada said in a statement. statement then. “For this, we apologise unreservedly. We know we need to do more to address behaviour on and off the ice that conflicts with what Canadians want in hockey and undermines the game for us Many benefits to the country.”