Hockey Canada’s alleged sexual assault work has once again been criticized, as one of its best-known sponsors, Scotiabank, has announced it is suspending its sponsorship of the Canadian hockey organization.
The financial institution pulled a full page in the Globe and Mail on Tuesday, with Scotiabank President and CEO Brian J. Porter wrote: “Like many of you, I was horrified by recent reports of alleged attacks involving younger ambassadors to the Canadian game. “
“We believe that we have a responsibility as fans and sponsors of hockey to contribute to a positive change in the sport.
Scotiabank says they are suspending their partnership with Hockey Canada until they are “convinced that the right steps are being taken to improve the sport’s culture”.
Scotiabank cancels its planned marketing and events at the upcoming World Junior Championships in Edmonton this August. Instead, they redirect some of their sponsorship funds to the Canadian Women’s Foundation, a charity that supports women who are victims of gender-based violence.
An unnamed woman was sued in April for allegedly sexually assaulting a hotel room in London, Ont. after a hockey tournament in Canada and a gala.
Her lawsuit alleges that some of her attackers were members of the Canadian team that won a gold medal for the 2018 World Junior. The charges against the unnamed players have not been proven in court. The case was settled for an undisclosed amount and a non-disclosure agreement was signed.
Sexual abuser and former NHL player Sheldon Kennedy believes that hockey Canada needs to provide more transparency, and this begins with the severance of the non-disclosure agreement.
“The last thing we need to do is freeze the votes, people who have been abused in any form or form have frozen their votes since the abuse started, so I don’t think we should use the NDA, to continue to freeze victims’ voices if they choose to speak, “Kennedy told CTV News.
The president of Hockey Canada has officially acknowledged that players attending the event in London were not required to participate in the investigation of third-party associations.
In response, Scotiabank’s chief executive said that “the time for change is long overdue.”
“We urge Hockey Canada to move with a sense of urgency to ensure that the game we love is maintained to the highest standards and can truly be hockey for all.”
Journalist Laura Robinson began investigating the culture of sexual violence in youth hockey in the 1990s. She called the language used by Scotiabank a precedent, telling CTV News: “I think this is the first time we have seen something like this. I don’t remember a corporate sponsor retiring from such a big (sport). In Canada, you can’t get bigger than hockey.
Robinson believes Hockey Canada is more interested in defending the organization than in potential victims of sexual violence.
“It’s a deep-rooted cultural problem, and I don’t think they’re really interested in researching what hockey is that produces such violent sexual acts.
Hockey Canada rejected CTV News’s request for a camera interview on Tuesday, instead sending a statement saying: “Hockey Canada is on track to change the culture of our sport and make it safer and more inclusive, as in the rink and in our communities. We have been on this journey for some time, but we agree that more needs to be done faster. ”
Kennedy says the future of the sport is at stake.
“What I set out to do is healthy communities, healthy children and healthy families. If we continue to see headlines about sexual violence happening here, cover-ups happening there, who will enroll their children? We are already seeing the fall of not making these issues the number one priority in an organization. If we want to develop the game, if we want the sport to be for everyone, these issues must be number one. “
Scotiabank says they are suspending their partnership with Hockey Canada until they are “convinced that the right steps are being taken to improve the sport’s culture”.
Robinson says change must finally start from the bottom up.
“Hockey is such a beautiful sport that we really have to look very carefully at how this culture was created and make some really huge changes.”
Scotiabank is suspending Hockey Canada’s sponsorship following recent reports of an alleged attack involving younger ambassadors in the Canadian game.
We are committed to ensuring that hockey is safe, inclusive and accessible to all. Read the open letter from our CEO at Globe & Mail. pic.twitter.com/LEICJ6AH6i
– Scotiabank (@scotiabank) June 28, 2022
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