Trigger Warning: The following article contains descriptions of sexual assault and may be upsetting for some readers.
Since this past summer, Canadian news outlets have been reporting on the surfacing of multiple sexual assault allegations connected to Hockey Canada. A lawsuit from April 2022 revealed that a 20-year-old woman accused members of the U20 Men’s junior hockey team of sexually assaulting her on June 19, 2018. The incident prompted the re-opening of a similar sexual assault case from the World Junior’s Championship back in 2003. Subsequently, these cases have opened an investigation into Hockey Canada’s failure to address systematic sexual abuse within the organization. What does this scandal reveal about the culture of abuse and violence within hockey? How are these events connected to Canadian pride and identity?
In May 2022, Hockey Canada settled a sexual assault lawsuit involving 8 members of the 2018 World Junior championship team. The plaintiff in this case alleged that the players assaulted her while she was intoxicated at a hotel in London, Ontario, after a Hockey Canada Foundation celebration. The 3.55-million-dollar lawsuit was discreetly settled for an undisclosed sum up to that amount. Amidst the surfacing of the 2018 assault, police in Halifax reopened the case of a group sexual assault that involved a half-dozen players from the 2003 world junior team. According to the plaintiff, the players recorded themselves having non-consensual sex with her while she was “naked and non-responsive” lying face up on a pool table.
These investigations revealed that the organization possesses an equity fund that has been used to pay uninsured liabilities, including claims of historical sexual abuse. Hockey Canada stated that it maintains a “National Equity Fund that covers a ‘broad range of expenses related to safety, wellness and equity initiatives across our organization’.”
In August, Hockey Canada issued a statement explaining that of the $23.80 participants pay to the organization in registration fees, $13.65 is allocated to the equity fund for various insurance costs. However, they did not disclose that the fund has been used to pay off sexual assault settlements. Parents have voiced their disapproval of the decision to settle a multi-million-dollar lawsuit with fees collected from registrants rather than hold the players financially responsible for their crimes. Hockey Canada has since suspended the use of the fund to settle sexual assault claims.
Amidst the fallout of the scandal, various groups and individuals are calling for change. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Hockey Canada’s handling of the allegations is “unacceptable,” adding that “all options are being considered to determine the next step” in the federal government’s investigation of the organization. Canada’s Senior Women’s hockey team demanded a thorough and transparent investigation into the nature of the crimes. In an open letter to Hockey Canada, the team demanded systematic change within the organization, as well as concrete action to address “toxic behaviour.”
The organization is receiving much backlash from provincial hockey organizations across the country, as well as major pressure from corporate sponsors due to their lack of financial transparency. Canadian Tire has officially cut ties with Hockey Canada, and Telus, Tim Hortons, and Scotiabank have pulled their funding from the men’s program for upcoming seasons.
These allegations are not isolated incidents. After being called to testify before the Committee on Canadian Heritage in June 2022, Hockey Canada’s COO and President Scott Smith testified that “the organization has received one to two allegations of sexual assault per year for the past five or six years.” With this statement in mind, it is not difficult to draw a link between rape culture and hockey culture. In response to the allegations in June, sports minister St-Onge stated that “it is clear that the culture of silence and trivialization of sexual violence is well entrenched in the culture of this sport.” Sexual abuse, among other forms of violence, has always been present in Canadian hockey. Whether perpetrated by players, coaches, or fans, various forms of assault have become an unchecked cultural norm.
Many parallels can be drawn to other athletic sexual assault scandals, including, most notably, the Larry Nassar case involving hundreds of US gymnasts who were subjected to years of sexual abuse. In the Nassar case, USA Gymnastics and the FBI both failed to act when these atrocities were brought to light. The important role that national sports organizations play when it comes to addressing abuse cannot be overstated and must be treated extremely seriously. Unfortunately, Hockey Canada’s handling of sexual assault allegations reminds us that a lack of oversight and financial transparency allowed for decades of cover-ups. What kind of message does this send to women who play hockey in Canada? Why should they feel safe or valued, knowing that the organization they play for was actively paying off the crimes of their male counterparts?
This scandal has larger repercussions and fails to reflect what we value as Canadians. Whether you play the sport or not, hockey is a quintessential part of our national identity and pride. Athletes that wear the Canadian flag and are celebrated by fans all over the world represent what it means to be Canadian. Peace, freedom, democracy, and equality are just a few of the values we expect these athletes to embody. In an article with Global News, Kristi Allain, an associate professor of sociology at St. Thomas University and the Canada Research Chair in Physical Culture and Social Life, pointed out that “when we celebrate these kinds of men, it tells a story about what kinds of Canadians matter in the Canadian imaginary.” When sexual assault allegations are brushed off, it signals that the careers of the alleged abusers are more valued than the experiences of survivors. We hold up our hockey players as the pillars of this nation, but, Allain contends, when they “turn around and (allegedly) rape women, we brush that aside.”
According to experts like Andrea Gunraj, vice-president of public engagement at The Canadian Women’s Foundation, solutions to end rape culture “have to be systemic.” To truly address an entrenched abusive culture, she explains that institutions like Hockey Canada need to have peer leaders trained by people who are in the gender justice sector to “disrupt the common sense that these forms of violence are okay.” Safe Sport advocate Allison Forseyth’s response to the scandal emphasized the need for more serious preventative measures as well; “We need to break the culture of silence. Sports needs to break that culture of silence.” She has traveled throughout the country talking to different sports teams and universities, helping them begin the process of creating healthy sports environments within their organizations.
Athletes deserve to play in a safe environment. They deserve to have leaders that care about their overall health and wellbeing. Young hockey players deserve an organization that treats sexual assault as a crime, not as something that is swept under the rug. The Hockey Canada scandal reminds us that there must be a greater effort to address systemic rape culture within sports. It is imperative that the organization takes concrete steps toward dismantling the toxic culture that affects players as well as the larger Canadian community. Our national sport should be a source of pride and unity, not shame. Canadians should be able to celebrate their national sports without a doubt that the players embody Canadian values.
Edited by Rebecca Bennett
Charlotte is a third year student studying Political Science and International Development. She has been a Staff Writer for Catalyst for the past year. She is interested in Indigenous Issues, Canadian news, and topics involving feminism and media.