After a two-year study of abuse in sports, a parliamentary committee is calling for sweeping changes to better protect athletes from sexual and physical abuse — including mandatory criminal record checks for all officials, coaches and volunteers and a new database to search past complaints, arrests and convictions.
The standing committee on Canadian heritage is also calling on the federal government to make national sport organizations more transparent by — among other things — requiring that top executives’ salaries and funds, and all minutes of board meetings, be made public.
“Throughout this study, the committee has observed firsthand the gaps in the system which have allowed for these unacceptable situations to occur,” says final report, which offers more than 20 recommendations.
“It has also directly witnessed some of the governance issues affecting many [national sport organizations] across Canada.”
The committee heard from more than 100 witnesses — including current and former athletes, representatives of sport organizations and experts — during two dozen meetings about sports abuse in Canada.
Testimony uncovered what some described as a “toxic culture” in sport that emphasizes winning medals while fostering a climate where athletes are afraid to report abuse because of shame or the threat of reprisals.
The committee launched its probe in 2022 in response to Hockey Canada quietly settling a group sexual assault case out of court — with a non-disclosure agreement limiting what the victim could say publicly.
Hockey Canada is on the defensive over allegations that some members of its gold-medal winning World Junior team in 2018 took part in a group sexual assault, and the organization didn’t do enough to hold players accountable. The Fifth Estate examines the national shame inside Canada’s game, and the disturbing history that suggests this was not an isolated incident.
Police have since charged five former members of Canada’s world junior hockey team with sexual assault in connection with an alleged incident in London, Ont. after a Hockey Canada event.
The Hockey Canada controversy exposed the fact that the hockey organization maintained multiple funds that it used to pay out millions of dollars in sexual abuse claims, using players’ registration fees without their knowledge.
A retired Supreme Court justice also found Hockey Canada had no rules on how to manage the fund, details about withdrawals were largely kept off the books and the sports organization broke its own disclosure rules by failing on six occasions to notify members about payouts over $500,000.
The committee’s report recommends that all national sport organizations publicly disclose all funds at their disposal and state their intended use. These organizations also should adopt guidelines on the “appropriate and transparent use of reserve funds such as Hockey Canada’s National Equity Fund and Participants’ Legacy Trust Fund,” the report said.
The report added that information about the use of these funds must be made “freely available online.”
“Indicate how much is spent on bonuses and gifts, payments made in settlement cases, and funding allocations toward each program, fund and initiative,” the report said.
Hockey Canada came under fire from NDP MP Peter Julian while the committee did its work. Julian demanded answers from Hockey Canada about board dinners that he said can “cost more than $5,000, presidential suites for board members that cost over $3,000 per night and gold and diamond rings for board members that cost over $3,000 each.”
The report also calls for sport organizations to list on their websites all contractors hired, the value of the contracts and a statement declaring there were no conflicts of interest. Insurance policies should also be posted publicly, the report says.
CBC News Network’s Hannah Thibedeau speaks with attorney and victim advocate Rachael Denhollander.
The sums of money sports organizations receive through government grants, sponsorships, equity funds, registration fees, development funds and capital funds should also be disclosed, the report says. All contracts over $5,000, including travel expenses, should also be proactively shared to enhance accountability, the report says.
The government should also ban the use of non-disclosure agreements that national sport organizations can use to limit what athletes can say after receiving compensation for abuse, the report says. All survivors should be released from these agreements if they’ve already signed them, the committee says.
Many athletes who have suffered abuse fear reprisals that could affect their careers, the committee wrote, adding there are current Olympic athletes who are too terrified to talk about their experiences.
The law should be changed to offer greater protection to whistleblowers, the report says.
The federal government has announced a commission to examine systemic abuse in sports starting in 2024, but some who have experienced abuse say the government should launch a full public inquiry with the power to compel witnesses to testify.
The committee is also recommending that the government come up with a formal process to investigate sexual abuse, physical abuse and maltreatment that’s trauma-informed.
More funding for sport safety and an independent public inquiry into abuse in sports are also needed, the report said. The federal government has rejected the idea of a public inquiry and is instead launching a three-person commission to investigate.
Athletes who testified before the committee also spoke about pay equity and the unequal treatment of women’s national teams. Players from Canada’s women’s national soccer team said women’s soccer is treated as an “afterthought” and resources are diverted to their male counterparts.
Members of Canada’s gold-medal winning women’s soccer team told MPs they’re being asked to do more with less and aren’t being compensated, or treated, the same as members of the men’s team.
The report calls on the government to work with national sport organizations to promote gender equality and diversity, and to encourage putting more women and Black, Indigenous and racialized people in leadership roles.
The committee also wants Canada’s auditor general to audit all sports programs, including the not-for-profit Own the Podium.
The government has five months to reply to the report.
