The Canadian Heritage Standing Committee agreed on Monday to ask Hockey Canada staff to testify in Ottawa next Monday (June 20th) on the out-of-court settlement of a case filed by a woman who claims she was sexually assaulted by eight CHL players. including some members of the 2017-18 World Youth Team Canada, in June 2018.
According to TSN senior correspondent Rick Westhead, Hockey Canada employees who will be asked to testify include new CEO Scott Smith, outgoing CEO Tom Renee, former senior vice president of insurance and risk management Glenn McCurdy and Hockey chairman Canada Foundation David Andrews.
New: The Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage agreed during a closed-door meeting today to ask Canadian hockey officials to testify in Ottawa on June 20 for the settlement of a lawsuit filed by a woman who claims to have been sexually assaulted by 8 CHL players in June 2018.
– Rick Westhead (@rwesthead) June 13, 2022
Member of Parliament Peter Julian added that while Hockey Canada officials will be invited to testify, they will be called if they do not respond or decline the invitation. The commission has set aside three hours to hear the testimony and may plan more witnesses and time if members deem it necessary.
Canadian Sports Minister Pascal Saint-Onge will also be asked to testify. The hearing is scheduled for next Monday through a webcast for the public and will begin in the late afternoon.
The woman, who is not identified in court records, claims that the attacks took place in June 2018 at a hotel in London, Ont. after a Hockey Canada event. Her allegations were included in a lawsuit filed on April 20, which was settled.
The plaintiff asked a judge to award $ 3.55 million. The amount of the settlement is unknown. The charges against the players were never proven in court and none of the defendants responded.
St. Ong said earlier this month that it had ordered an audit of Hockey Canada’s finances to determine whether taxpayers’ money had been used to settle the case.
The NHL announced on May 26 that it was launching an investigation into the allegations and formally notified the NHL Players’ Association on June 3 of its intentions, as required by the NHL / NHLPA collective agreement.
The federal government has jurisdiction over Hockey Canada, as the federation is one of more than 50 national sports organizations that is partially funded by public money.
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