Below is a statement from Hockey Canada CEO Tom Renney:
Thank you, Madam Chair, and members of the Committee, for inviting Hockey Canada to appear today.
My name is Tom Renney, and I am the Chief Executive Officer of Hockey Canada.
Our former colleague Glen McCurdie, who retired as Senior Vice President, Insurance and Risk Management in December, is not here today due to the recent death of his father. We appreciate the Committee’s compassion in not forcing his attendance today.
We welcome the opportunity to respond to members’ questions regarding the claims involving members of the 2017-2018 National Junior Hockey Team, and the recent settlement Hockey Canada reached with the plaintiff in this matter.
But before we do that, I want to make one thing clear:
Hockey Canada is on a journey to change the culture of our sport and make it safer and more inclusive.
We recognize that issues of mistreatment, including bullying, harassment, racism, homophobia and sexual abuse, exist in hockey – as they do in other sports and in our society.
We have been working on this since long before the incident in London, but we recognize that as leaders we need to do more – and we are committed to doing so.
Before we get to your questions, I’d like to provide some context for the discussion. As some of the public comments on this very serious issue have been speculative, I would like to ensure that we are starting with a common set of facts.
Hockey Canada is aware of reports suggesting that we failed to investigate this incident, attempted to cover it up and generally swept this matter under the rug. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Hockey Canada learned of the incident a day after it was alleged to have occurred.
We immediately started an investigation process, starting by contacting the police.
We ordered an independent investigation and appointed an independent panel of judges to review the findings of that investigation.
We also notified Sport Canada, as is our obligation as a federally funded National Sport Organization.
Our organization, leadership and staff have fully cooperated with law enforcement and the investigator throughout their proceedings, providing all access and information requested.
We cannot speak about the investigation being undertaken by the London Police.
For our part, the independent investigation we commissioned could not be concluded definitively because the young woman chose not to speak to the investigator. That was her right, and we respected her wishes, just as we continue to respect her clear and repeated wishes not to identify herself or the players involved. While we understand the public’s frustration that the players involved have never been identified or disciplined, the young woman has a responsibility in this matter, and we encourage everyone to give due consideration and respect to her fundamental desire for privacy above all else.
Regarding the legal claims that were filed in April of this year, we settled the claim quickly because we felt a moral obligation to respond to the alleged conduct that occurred at one of our events by players who attended at our invitation.
While we don’t know exactly what happened that night, or the identities of the people involved, we understand that the behavior was unacceptable and inconsistent with Hockey Canada’s values and expectations and clearly caused harm.
And we felt that the appropriate response to the young woman’s legal request was one that did not require her to participate in a protracted litigation. The agreement allows her to seek whatever support she needs as she tries to get through this incident.
Although the investigation could not reach a conclusion about the role any player may have played in the incident, the investigator provided advice on areas for improvement which we have implemented and will continue to pursue in line with our work to improve our culture and sport. This work includes improving our code of conduct and improving our educational programs. We are happy to discuss these efforts in more detail today.
As I said at the outset, driving this behavior change is a priority for our organization and players, coaches, volunteers and other stakeholders can expect to hear more about our actions in this area.
As part of this effort, we are eager to work with our many stakeholders to ensure that we meet the expectations that Canadians have for Canada’s game. Earlier this year we appointed our first Hockey Canada executive focused exclusively on safe sport. We also welcome the appointment this spring of Canada’s first Sport Integrity Commissioner and the measures announced by the Minister of Sport last week regarding the accountability of Sport Canada organizations.
Our message to anyone who feels they have been the victim of abuse by someone associated with Hockey Canada is that we want to hear from you. We are committed to ensuring that we are a safe space to raise your concerns and give you confidence that they will be taken seriously and dealt with appropriately. Our organization’s mission is to “lead, develop and promote positive hockey experiences” – that means on the ice and on the rink, but it also means working to ensure those positive experiences extend to every interaction with players , our coaches, volunteers and staff.
Finally, on the question of the source of funding for the solution in question here. We will fully cooperate with the minister’s financial audit, but I can assure you that no government funds were used in the settlement.
I would like to close by taking this opportunity to correct a statement we made publicly regarding the police investigation that took place 4 years ago. Hockey Canada contacted London Police as soon as we were made aware of the incident, but our understanding until recently was that the young woman had chosen not to speak to the police. Later, through her lawyer, we learned that she actually filed a complaint with the police, who decided not to press charges. Out of respect for the young woman, I felt it was important to make this clear.
Thank you, Madam President.
