The executive director of Hockey Canada told the House of Commons committee under oath that the organization had not used any government money to settle a case of an alleged victim of sexual violence.
CBC News reported Monday that financial records show Hockey Canada received $ 14 million in support from the federal government in 2020 and 2021, including $ 3.4 million in emergency grants for COVID-19.
But in testimony before the Standing Committee of the House of Commons on Canadian Heritage on Monday, Hockey Canada CEO Tom Renee said none of that money was used to settle a $ 3.55 million lawsuit filed in April by a woman who claims to have been sexually assaulted by eight former Canadian Hockey League (CHL) players after an event at the Hockey Canada Foundation in London, Ont. in June 2018
The allegations have not been proven in court.
“I can assure you that no state funds have been used in this settlement,” Renee said in an introductory statement to the committee.
The terms of the agreement and the identities of the parties to the case are unknown.
Earlier this month, Sports Minister Pascale Saint-Onge ordered a financial audit of the out-of-court settlement, saying the move was aimed at ensuring taxpayers’ money is not being used to settle the case.
Renee said the organization would cooperate fully in the audit.
The Minister of Sports Pascal Saint-Onge ordered an audit of the settlement. (Justin Tang / Canadian Press)
When questioned by the commission, Hockey Canada’s chief operating officer Scott Smith said the organization had liquidated some of its investments to pay for the settlement. Government funding is kept in a separate account, Smith said.
Renee said the organization is committed to settling the issue quickly because it believes it has a moral obligation to do so.
He said that although Hockey Canada’s independent investigation into the matter was unconvincing, the alleged incident was “unacceptable and incompatible with Hockey Canada’s values and expectations and apparently caused harm”.
He added that the organization hopes to address behavioral issues through changes to its code of conduct and improved educational programs.
Renee is due to step down as CEO later this month. He testified that his decision to withdraw was not related to the alleged events or the agreement.
Investigations have failed to identify the players
Renee said Hockey Canada learned of the reported incident a day after it was alleged to have occurred, and the organization’s staff informed London, Ont. police.
Shortly afterwards, he said, Hockey Canada hired a third-party investigator.
But on Monday, Smith said during questioning that no investigation was active – and that investigations had failed to identify the eight players.
“We were unable to confirm the identity of the accused,” Smith said.
Hockey Canada President and Chief Operating Officer Scott Smith said neither a third-party investigation nor the London Police Department were able to establish the identities of the eight players in their criminal investigation. (Richard Volovic / Getty Images)
He said Hockey Canada had communicated with the unidentified players through a representative and that the independent investigation commissioned by Hockey Canada had ended after the agreement.
Executives testified that while Hockey Canada encouraged all players in the event to participate in a third-party investigation, there was little approval.
Renee and Smith gave conflicting and vague testimonies about how many players were involved.
Renee said that if he had to guess, he would say that “four to six” players were involved. Smith said the number was higher, but did not give a number.
Liberal MP Anthony Hausfader said he felt there was a lack of effort by Hockey Canada to identify the players.
“The fact that they have not been identified shocks me,” Housefather told the committee.
The plaintiff states in her application that the eight players – currently identified as John Does from one to eight – are members of Canada’s national youth team.
The National Hockey League (NHL) is investigating whether any of the eight are playing in the league.
Conservative MP Kevin Woo has expressed concern that players may start practicing hockey at some point in the future.
He also wondered why the sequence of events had not been made public for four years.
“Who made the decision to keep this quiet?” Wo asked.
Smith said Hockey Canada was awaiting the completion of both investigations.
“We have done the work we had to do and we were ready to respond after the criminal investigation or after the investigation by our third country was completed, but unfortunately none of them could be completed,” Smith told. commission.
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