Home » Hockey Canada and its law firm, the CHL, subpoenaed to testify by the Heritage Committee

Hockey Canada and its law firm, the CHL, subpoenaed to testify by the Heritage Committee

by Ainsley Ingram

Editor’s note: The following story deals with sexual assault and may be distressing for some readers.

If you or someone you know needs help, those in Canada can find centres, crisis lines and services specific to each province. here. For readers in America, a list of resources and references for survivors and their loved ones can be found here.

OTTAWA– The Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage issued subpoenas for witnesses from Hockey Canada and the Canadian Hockey League to appear and requested emails and texts for hearings scheduled for July 26 and 27 as part of a investigating how Hockey Canada handled allegations of sexual assault.

Former Hockey Canada vice-president of risk management Glen McCurdie, Sport Canada’s Nicole Mulligan and representatives from Hockey Canada’s affiliated leagues also received subpoenas.

Representatives of Hockey Canada’s independent investigator into the incident, the law firm Henein Hutchison LLP, were called to testify for the hearings; Sports Minister Pascale St-Onge; and President of BFL Canada, Hockey Canada’s insurance company, Barry Lorenzetti. An MP confirmed that witnesses are required to attend the hearing, which should be held in Ottawa and not virtually.

The committee also requested any non-disclosure agreements, with the names of the players and complainant redacted, and copies of all communications between Hockey Canada and the teams and players regarding this matter, as well as all communications between Sport Canada and Hockey Canada. An MP confirmed that these communications will be relevant emails, texts and any paper correspondence.

Hockey Canada and Hockey Canada Foundation minutes were also requested subject to solicitor-client privilege, litigation privilege and settlement privilege between June 2018 and June 23, 2022, at most late Friday, July 15.

“We need to get to the bottom of how Hockey Canada handles sexual assault cases to better understand how this was resolved,” said NDP MP and committee member Peter Julian. “Canadians are shocked to learn of this and want to see action to prevent it from happening again.

“We want answers from Hockey Canada; we didn’t get answers from Hockey Canada last time.”

Specifically, Julian said the committee wanted to know how two other ongoing sexual assault investigations involving Hockey Canada members are being handled. In testimony Monday, Hockey Canada officials said they did not require players from the 2018 World Juniors team to participate in an investigation into allegations of sexual assault by a woman. They also mentioned during their testimony that Hockey Canada had received one to two allegations of sexual assault per year for the past five to six years.

The heritage committee’s demands stem from a two-hour, 36-minute closed meeting on Wednesday night over the allegations.

“I think this issue has to be a priority,” Julian said after Wednesday’s meeting. “Hockey is one of our two national sports — it’s something Canadians grow up with. We are very proud of our hockey players. We are very proud of the players who wear the maple leaf. We must ensure that there is a code of conduct that is strictly adhered to. And that’s something that I think Hockey Canada has been worryingly lacking in over the past few years.

On Wednesday, the House of Commons unanimously passed a motion calling for an independent inquiry into Hockey Canada’s handling of the June 2018 sexual assault allegations.

As Bloc Québécois MP Sébastien Lemire put it during question period, the investigation would examine Hockey Canada’s handling of the allegations that came to light last month and, as he put it in French, “would determine s Whether this was an isolated event or if there were gaps in the way Hockey Canada handles complaints of sexual assault, sexual harassment and other types of misconduct. »

Hockey Canada has been under intense scrutiny since late May when news emerged that they had settled a lawsuit involving a woman who says she was sexually assaulted by eight Canadian Hockey League players. In the lawsuit, which was filed April 20 in Ontario Superior Court in London, Ont., the woman claims that at least some of the players were part of Canada’s national junior team and that the assault occurred in June 2018 after a Hockey Canada Foundation event. .

She has not identified the players and wishes to keep her own identity private. Terms of the settlement were not disclosed.

Pascale St-Onge, Canada’s Minister of Sport, announced earlier Wednesday the immediate freeze of government funding to Hockey Canada.

St-Onge said the funds will be released when Hockey Canada meets two conditions: shares its report by third-party investigators to Henein and Hutchison and its plans to implement changes; and become signatories to the Office of the Sporting Integrity Commissioner.

On Thursday, a spokeswoman for Hockey Canada issued a statement to Sportsnet when asked to respond to the government’s funding freeze:

“Hockey Canada is aware that the minister has set conditions regarding the funds the organization receives from the federal government.

“Hockey Canada is deeply committed and actively working to foster a culture in our sport where everyone involved feels safe and of which all Canadians can be proud. We recognize that as leaders we need to do more – and we are committed to doing so. In the days and months ahead, Canadians can expect to hear more about our work in this area.

Government funding represents 6% of Hockey Canada’s annual budget, which is approximately $7.8 million per year.

— With files from Emily Sadler of Sportsnet

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