|
Hockey Canada had its funding frozen last year
when the national governing body came under scrutiny over its
handling of sexual assault allegations.
The organisation, which has lost a many corporate sponsors amid
the scandal, has been under fire since news broke in last May of
an alleged group sexual assault involving members of Canada's
2018 world junior team and subsequent out-of-court settlement
paid for out of player registration fees.
The allegations against the unnamed players have not been proven
in court.
"Today marks an important milestone for Hockey Canada in our
journey to earn and maintain the trust of Canadians," said Hugh
Fraser, chair of the Hockey Canada Board of Directors.
"While I would like to thank Minister St-Onge and the government
for their vote of confidence and for their ongoing efforts to
prioritize safe sport in Canada, I also wish to stress that we
still have work to do to change the culture of our sport."
The three conditions needed to restore funding included becoming
a full signatory to Abuse-Free Sport and a commitment to more
frequently update the government on work to change a toxic
culture. Hockey Canada must also review and implement the
recommendations from the independent governance review led by
Thomas Cromwell.
CBC reported that Hockey Canada received $7.7 million from Sport
Canada in the 2022 fiscal year.
"While federal financing is only a fraction of Hockey Canada's
revenues, I wish to reiterate that our funding is not a blank
cheque," said St-Onge in a letter to Fraser.
"Hockey Canada also must tackle issues regarding safe sport,
such as the toxic behaviours, the trivialization of sexual
violence, and the culture of silence, which has too often made
the headlines.
"There is no reason why such situations should continue to
plague hockey or any other sport."
Fraser, a retired judge, was elected as Hockey Canada's new
board chair in December along with eight new directors.
(Reporting by Steve Keating in Brampton; Editing by Sandra Maler)
[© 2023 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content. |
|
