Hockey Manitoba wants improvements at Hockey Canada but is confident in current leadership, executive director says
Provincial and territorial hockey federations, including Hockey Manitoba, are calling on Hockey Canada to do more to address its handling of sexual assault allegations in London, Ont. in 2018.
Hockey Manitoba is one of 13 organizations supporting a letter to the sport’s national governing body threatening to withhold the payment of dues from members unless the federations see action to improve the game.
“Our members pay roughly just over $50,” said Peter Woods, Hockey Manitoba’s executive director. “Half of that goes to Hockey Canada, half that stays with the branch here. That’s a last resort.”
“I don’t think that’ll be exercised. I have the utmost confidence in Hockey Canada. They’ve already established or reached some of the things that are actionable within the Action Plan.”
In the letter spearheaded by Hockey Quebec, the 13 provincial and territorial hockey federations said they want more information about how the matter was handled. The group is calling on Hockey Canada to provide a written report on how it will implement an Action Plan aimed at improving the game or it may withhold the membership dues.
A spokesperson for Hockey Canada said while they couldn’t provide a response before deadline they would follow up on questions from CTV News Winnipeg regarding the letter sent by the federations.
Hockey Canada has previously vowed to stop using player fees for sexual abuse settlements and announced a former Supreme Court judge will lead a governance review.
The chair of the board of directors of Hockey Canada stepped down over the weekend, with his term set to expire in November 2022.
Michael Brind’Amour said in a statement issued by Hockey Canada: “actions we have taken in recent weeks are part of the solution.” But he added there’s no need to wait for a new era to address the challenges facing the organization and the sport.
Woods, who heads up Hockey Manitoba, said while he’s confident in the organization and the people who remain in charge at Hockey Canada, there’s room for improvement.
“There’s a lot of talk around the culture of the game and I think that needs to be eliminated,” Woods said. “We want to make sure that everyone that is participating in the game is in a safe environment and I think that’s tantamount for everyone that’s involved.”
As provincial and territorial hockey federations demand answers, parents and participants across the country are debating their future in the sport.
They include Tim Skuce, an associate professor in the Faculty of Education at Brandon University, who has researched the impact of hockey culture on elite players and has a 10-year-old in the game.
“Fees were due, the first sign up was the end of July to get a reduced rate and I haven’t signed him up yet,” Skuce said in a Zoom interview from Calgary. “There is a really difficult conversation that we’re having in our home.”
A conversation sparked by Hockey Canada’s handling of sexual assault allegations made against some members of the 2018 World Junior hockey team and the use of a portion of player registration fees for uninsured payments including for sexual abuse settlements.
The culture of the game is something Skuce has studied closely over the past several years in two separate research projects in which he conducted interviews with elite level players on how hockey impacted their understanding of what it is to be a boy and a man.
He said the findings show more work is needed to root out behaviours such as sexism, homophobia and hyper-masculinity.
“Behaviours that we have seen that are entrenched,” Skuce said. “We interviewed athletes from 18 to 60. So this isn’t just like a micro-episodic thing of just now. This has been a longstanding set of behaviours.”
Skuce said while there’s no one magic solution, he’s cautiously optimistic conversations in the wake of the Hockey Canada controversy will help change behaviours. Changes he feels need to be led from the ground up by parents, coaches, and organizers at minor hockey levels.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
What Canadians think of the latest Liberal budget
A new poll suggests the Liberals have not won over voters with their latest budget, though there is broad support for their plan to build millions of homes.
opinion Why you should protect your investments by naming a trusted contact person
Appointing a trusted person to help with financial obligations can give you peace of mind. In his personal finance column for CTVNews.ca, Christopher Liew outlines the key benefits of naming a confidant to take over your financial responsibilities, if the need ever arises.
Teacher shortages see some Ontario high school students awarded perfect grades on midterm exams
Students at a high school in York Region have been awarded perfect marks on their midterm exams in three subjects – not because of their academic performances however, but because they had no teacher.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
Ottawa injects another $36M into vaccine injury compensation fund
The federal government has added $36.4 million to a program designed to support people who have been seriously injured or killed by vaccines since the end of 2020.
An Ontario senior thought he called Geek Squad for help with his printer. Instead, he got scammed out of $25,000
An Ontario senior’s attempt to get technical help online led him into a spoofing scam where he lost $25,000. Now, he’s sharing his story to warn others.
Her fiance has been in prison for 49 years. She's trying to free him before it's too late
Christine Roess is a retired consultant. Ezra Bozeman has spent the last 49 years in prison, serving a life sentence for a murder he says he didn’t commit. Against the odds, the two fell in love.