Questions and Answers

1. Hockey Canada

Q1. As Minister of Sport, what was your reaction when you heard of the situation with Hockey Canada?

Q2. When did you learn of this settlement by Hockey Canada with the young woman who alleges she was sexually assaulted by 8 Team Canada Junior players following a Hockey Canada charity event in London, Ontario in June 2018?

Q3. If, like all of us, you learned about these allegations a few days ago from the media, can you assure us that neither your officials nor any of your staff had heard of this matter before the Globe article?

Q4. How much funding did Sport Canada provide to Hockey Canada for programming in 2017-18 and 2018-19? Was this funding used to support the Junior Men’s Hockey Team?

Background for eligible expenses

Background for targeted funding

Q5. Was Sport Canada funding used to pay for the Gala in June 2018? Is this considered an eligible expense?

Q6. Did Hockey Canada use any public funds for the settlement?

Q7. Will you be withholding funding from Hockey Canada?

2. Cases involving other sport organizations

Q8. Are you aware of any other allegations of abuse or harassment happening right now in federally funded sport organizations?

Q9. What do you think about the latest request from athletes calling on the government to investigate the culture of sports in Canada?

Q10. Following the letter signed by more than 400 gymnastic athletes and former athletes, as well as allegations from other sport, will you ask for a third-party investigation or a cultural review of those sports?

Q11. Will non-disclosure agreements that some National Sport Organizations have their athletes sign, such as bobsleigh, prevent athletes from being able to access the services of the Office of the Sport Integrity Commissioner?

Q12. There are important bargaining discussions happening between Canada Soccer and the men's national team and women’s national team. Will the Minister intervene to ensure fair treatment of all athletes?

3. Accountability in ensuring safety in sport

Q13. How does the Government of Canada ensure that organizations receiving federal funding meet specific safe sport standards?

Q14. What happens if an organization does not comply with safe sport standards? Will they be subject to funding cuts or other types of sanctions?

Q15. What happens when a case of abuse, discrimination, and harassment is disclosed to you or Sport Canada?

4. Investments in safe sport and initiatives to improve the situation

Q16. Is the Government of Canada investing enough to ensure a safe sport environment for all athletes?

Q17. What other measures will the Government be putting in place to ensure a safe sport environment?

Q18. Whether in amateur sport or in our armed forces, it seems that the government is unable to provide a healthy environment free of sexual or psychological harassment for young girls who want to represent Canada. What do you intend to do to rectify this situation?

Q19. Ski Canada, where a coach sexually abused many of our young athletes for years, Artistic Swimming Canada where coaches used the worst methods of psychological harassment and endangered the physical and mental health of young girls and now this cover-up by Hockey Canada, what are you going to do to bring the subsidized sport federations and organizations to heel and demand a healthy environment for our young athletes?

Q20. Sweeping things under the rug and lack of transparency seems to be the culture of accredited sports organizations. A few days ago, the athletes of Skeleton Bobsleigh Canada denounced a clause in their contract that forbids them to make any comments that could harm the image of Skeleton Bobsleigh Canada. This is despite your recent initiatives such as providing independent recourse for abused athletes? What will you do to protect athletes from such abuse?

Q21.Madam Minister, in response to the media storm surrounding this affair, you have decided to ask for a financial audit to ensure that none of the subsidies paid to Hockey Canada by Canadian Heritage programs were used to pay for this out-of-court settlement?

Q22. How much money has Canadian Heritage contributed through these various programs to Hockey Canada over the past few years?

Q23. According to media reports, the funding Hockey Canada receives from your department as well as from member contributions represents less than 10% of Hockey Canada's revenue. The largest sources of revenue are private sponsorships and the organization of major events. Don't you think that this cover-up was intended to protect Hockey Canada's image and its private sources of revenue?

Q24. In Montreal, the draft of young Logan Mailloux who was subject to and subsequently convicted abroad of sharing sexual images of his former girlfriend without consent, caused quite an outcry especially since Mailloux, aware of his actions, had asked NHL teams not to be drafted. Some sponsors threatened to pull out, Mailloux was not invited to camp and was sanctioned by the Ontario Junior Hockey League.

Q25. Don't you think Hockey Canada should do some soul-searching, admit its faults and hold the decision-makers accountable for this cover-up?

Q26. On May 27, the NHL opened an investigation into the matter and has committed to taking the necessary action if it finds that NHL players committed wrongdoing in this incident. International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) President Luc Tardif has also indicated that he is following the matter closely and expects to see the light shed on what appears to be a cover-up.

Q27. Last year, an independent review of bullying, discrimination and harassment in Canadian junior field hockey conducted by the CHL with a panel consisting of Sheldon Kennedy, Danièle Sauvageau and Camille Thériault revealed that misconduct is so prevalent that it has become a norm in the culture of field hockey in this country and is subject to the code of silence.

This is for the Minister directly – we do not know if she spoke to them.

Q21. Although Hockey Canada and the Canadian Hockey League are the subject of the lawsuit by the victim of the alleged gang rape, the incident occurred on the sidelines of the Hockey Canada charity event

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