Hockey Canada has announced its entire board of directors and its CEO will step aside as the organization faces widespread criticism over how it handled an alleged gang sexual assault involving members of the men’s national junior team. 2018
In a media release, the sports organization confirms that, with immediate effect, CEO Scott Smith will be leaving.
The statement said an interim management committee will be created until a newly constituted board appoints a new chief executive to lead the organisation.
Former Hockey Canada board members. From top left to right: CEO Scott Smith, Terry Engen, Kirk Lamb and John Neville. Bottom to right: Barry Reynard, Bobby Sahni, Mary Anne Veroba and Goops Wooldridge. (Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press, HockeyCanada.ca)
The virtual elections are scheduled for December 17. Hockey Canada’s statement says the current board will not seek re-election.
The interim management committee will focus on day-to-day operations, including reviewing and working with members and implementing a pending report on Hockey Canada’s governance, the organization said in its statement.
The news was welcomed by federal Sports Minister Pascale St-Onge, who had called for a review at the top.
“His resignation, and that of the CEO, is a step toward restoring Canadians’ confidence in the organization. While we welcome this news, the interim management committee must be made up of people who want to make real change,” he said in a statement to the media. .
“Hockey Canada must develop not only exceptional athletes, but also good citizens who respect women, the public and the law. The case of Hockey Canada shows that the government and leadership of national sports organizations determine how cases of sexual violence, abuse and other forms of abuse are managed”.
Exhaustion of sponsors
Andrea Skinner resigned as interim director and chair of Hockey Canada’s board over the weekend, days after her controversial appearance before a parliamentary committee, during which she defended the organization.
In front of MPs, he described Hockey Canada as the victim and said his board does not believe senior leadership “should be replaced based on what we consider substantial misinformation and overly cynical attacks.”
Andrea Skinner will appear virtually as a witness before the House of Commons Canadian Heritage committee on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Tuesday, October 4, 2022. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press)
Major sponsors, including Nike, Tim Hortons, Canadian Tire, Esso and Telus, responded by permanently cutting ties with Hockey Canada or withdrawing funding for men’s hockey this season.
St-Onge said she was frustrated with Hockey Canada’s leadership after Skinner’s appearance on the committee.
“I hope they get the message and leave before they burn it to the ground,” he said Thursday. “To renew this organization, you have to rebuild it.”
Conservative MP John Nater, a member of the committee investigating the Hockey Canada allegations, said the executive should not have taken so long to leave.
“But I am hopeful that we will finally see meaningful changes in the governance, organization and culture of Hockey Canada,” he tweeted.
“There’s still a lot of work to be done.”
Resignations “seemed inevitable”: Hockey Quebec
As the country’s national autonomous body for amateur hockey, Hockey Canada is responsible for managing and expanding hockey programs across the country at all levels of play, from grassroots to World Championships and the Games Olympic
Before it became the focus of the scandal, Hockey Canada received funding from the federal government, which has since frozen that funding. It also raised money through membership fees and provincial grants, and grassroots fundraising and sponsorships, a group that has also been depleted.
Hockey Canada has 13 member branches; each branch represents a province or region in Canada, although there are exceptions. Ontario is represented by three different branches, BC Hockey oversees minor hockey in both British Columbia and the Yukon, while Nunavut and the Northwest Territories are represented by Hockey North.
Hockey Quebec, which announced last week that it will not transfer funds to the national organization, said Tuesday’s result “seemed inevitable to us.”
“Now, it is essential to ensure that future councilors take concrete steps to effect profound changes in terms of respect, integrity and culture,” the provincial body said in a statement.
The Ontario Hockey Federation called the mass resignations “a good first step in addressing the challenges of the future.”
“This is an incredibly important juncture in the history of our game and it cannot be understated that trust must be rebuilt with Canadians, on and off the ice,” said Lauren Maharaj, spokesperson for the Ontario association .