Scott Smith, president of the organization, and Tom Renney, chief executive, answered questions from federal elected officials for just over two hours.
If no new information has transpired concerning the amicable agreement signed by Hockey Canada with the alleged victim, we still learned that this agreement was not the first of its kind concluded by the Canadian federation.
After reiterating that the funds used to compensate the young woman did not come from the money paid by the federal government, Smith acknowledged that other victims had already benefited from similar agreements.
” There are still two cases which are still under investigation and which I am not permitted to discuss here, he mentioned. I was also told that in the 5 or 6 years preceding my arrival in office, two or three similar situations per year were reported and resolved in a similar way. But only one in the last 12 months »
According to him, the money used for the settlements would have been generated by independent investments initiated by Hockey Canada.
Veil maintained
Asked whether the players involved in the alleged gang rape had cooperated with the police investigation, Smith implied that he did not have this information.
The rape allegedly took place in a London hotel room in June 2018.
According to what he said under oath, nothing obliged them to collaborate and several of them would have followed the advice of their official representative or their agent (between four and six) to refrain from doing so. .
Hockey Canada has reached a settlement with a victim of gang rape.
In the minutes leading up to this statement from the new president, Hockey Canada’s outgoing CEO, Tom Renney, praised his organization’s efforts to comprehensively review the code of conduct for players selected to defend the colors of the country on the international scene.
For the first time, we have appointed a member of the executive board whose task will be exclusively dedicated to safety in our sport. We also welcome the appointment by Sport Canada of a first integrity commissioner as well as the measures announced by Minister Pascale St-Onge
he said at the outset.
Renney and Smith insisted that Hockey Canada acted the day after the alleged attack when officials from the federation learned of the matter.
The fact remains, four years later, that those responsible remain unpunished and that the independent investigation commissioned by Hockey Canada came to a halt with the advent of the amicable agreement with the representatives of the alleged victim.
It is by saying that it wants to respect the will of the young woman that Hockey Canada continues to lock itself in the most complete silence for everything that relates directly or indirectly to this story.
Asked about the parallel investigation that the National Hockey League (NHL) is currently conducting regarding this case [22 membres d’Équipe Canada junior 2018 ont été repêchés par des clubs de la LNH, NDLR]both Renney and Smith have hinted that they are already collaborating with the pro circuit who apparently want to shed some light on the matter.
Questions regarding the total amount of legal costs incurred by Hockey Canada between 2018 and 2022, on why the federation was the only signatory to the settlement agreement sparing the directors of the Canadian Hockey League in the process ( LCH) remained unanswered.
On what led to the players not being identified, Scott Smith and Tom Renney said neither the police nor the leaders of the independent investigation that Hockey Canada commissioned were able to identify them. identify.
He assured that the players in question, had they been identified, would have faced disciplinary sanctions determined by an independent group.
This explanation did not convince the Liberal MP Anthony Housefather, present at the hearing. The fact that the assailants have not been identified shocks me
, he said, seeing there a lack of will on the part of the federation. Conservative MP Kevin Waugh also said he was disappointed, sharing his concern that the alleged attackers will become coaches in the near future.
Finally, it was revealed that alcohol had been served to underage players on the evening of the benefit gala organized by the Hockey Canada Foundation.
Before adjourning, the Chair of the Parliamentary Heritage Committee, Hedy Fry, spoke of her great disappointment that Hockey Canada officials were leaving Ottawa leaving so many questions unanswered.
Reference-ici.radio-canada.ca