NDP MP Peter Julian seeks answers from Hockey Canada CEO

NDP MP Peter Julian is looking for additional accountability and transparency from Hockey Canada by means of a letter issued to the group’s president and CEO, Scott Smith.

The letter, supplied to The Canadian Press, comes following new info Julian had been knowledgeable of by a former board member — who opted to stay nameless — relating to perks and splendid lodging supplied to board members.

“1000’s of {dollars} which are being spent on board conferences, on luxurious suites, on the rings that include championship groups which are given to board members,” he mentioned. “And I’ve requested these questions within the hearings that we have had to this point and have been stonewalled by Hockey Canada.

“The accountability is key right here. And I count on Hockey Canada to offer solutions to Canadians. There have been loads of expenditures that I do not assume cross the nod take a look at in the case of hockey dad and mom which are registering their daughter or their son in hockey applications. And so they’re not seeing the accountability for these funds that Hockey Canada must be exercising.”

Within the letter, Julian follows up on Smith’s testimony from a parliamentary listening to on July 27 the place he mentioned, “the board of administrators and our members occasionally have acquired a model of championship rings and there are some workers members who do have bonuses that relate to medal efficiency.”

Presenting info of dinners costing north of $5,000 for the board of administrators, in addition to lodging of over $3,000 per evening “such because the presidential suite on the [Westin] Harbour Fortress in Downtown Toronto,” Julian questions what number of instances such funds have been made.

Julian additionally notes allegations of the championship rings acquired by board members reportedly value greater than $3,000 apiece and seeks affirmation of their price.

In an announcement supplied to The Canadian Press, Hockey Canada says the bills for the board members are “recurrently reviewed to make sure they’re applicable.”

Group covers ‘vary of bills’

“Given the volunteer nature of their position, Hockey Canada covers a variety of bills associated to the board’s duties, together with conferences, meals, and journey prices. Our board of director’s journey and expense coverage strictly dictates which bills are applicable, together with a requirement that administrators e book essentially the most economical journey out there.

“Allowable bills embody airfare, lodging, meals, and floor journey. Hockey Canada doesn’t cowl lodge stays longer than required for board enterprise, incidental prices, or airfare to areas apart from the assembly location and residential.”

With parliament set to renew Sept. 19, Julian continues to voice his need to have Hockey Canada again in entrance of the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage.

“It is as much as a majority of the committee [to decide on future hearings],” mentioned Julian. “I’ve expressed a number of weeks in the past that I believed that we have to proceed these necessary hearings and broaden them to incorporate different nationwide sports activities organizations, as a result of we have develop into conscious of different sports activities organizations the place there was an identical lack of accountability.

“Sport Canada, and the minister of sport, must be accountable for the selections which were made during the last two years. And so, I hope, and I really feel, that members of the committee perceive the significance of it. I definitely hope that we’ll be persevering with these hearings, and that might be a choice that I consider the committee might be making [in] its subsequent conferences.”

With the whistleblower now within the fold, Julian is hopeful that, if doable, they might be keen to testify. Nonetheless, the MP is conscious of a necessity for shielding mentioned individual.

“I definitely consider that it is necessary for whistleblowers to be protected. And so that’s one thing that we have to guarantee as nicely,” mentioned Julian. “Whether or not or not that board member testifies in digital camera or testifies in public listening to, I believe might be as much as that board member, however I will surely prefer to see that board member testify earlier than the committee.”

Hockey Canada has been beneath immense strain to be publicly clear with its funds and dealing with of sexual assault allegations since TSN first reported an undisclosed settlement with a lady who alleged she was sexually assaulted by eight gamers, together with members of the 2018 world junior staff.

The complainant was looking for $3.55 million {dollars}.

Funding frozen to sporting physique

Since then, the group has admitted to utilizing its Nationwide Fairness Fund to pay out $7.6 million throughout 9 settlements associated to sexual assault or abuse since 1989. The fund drew on minor hockey membership charges to pay for uninsured liabilities, together with such claims.

Hockey Canada additionally revealed an alleged sexual assault investigation involving members of the 2003 world junior staff on July 22.

Amid the revelations, sport minister Pascale St. Onge has frozen funding to the sporting physique, along with Scotiabank, TELUS, Imperial Oil, Canadian Tire and Tim Hortons pulling sponsorship cash.

Former Hockey Canada CEO Tom Renney retired on the finish of June, leaving Smith to be his successor whereas persevering with to be president of the group. Michael Brind’Amour, the previous chair of board of administrators, resigned from his put up Aug. 6 with Andrea Skinner taking on because the interim chair on Aug. 9.

Regardless of the shifting components, and an motion plan that features, amongst different measures, the implementation of a centralized monitoring and reporting system for abuse complaints by the top of September, Julian believes a change of the present management remains to be required throughout the group.

“As I discussed final month within the listening to, I’ve misplaced confidence within the present management,” he mentioned. “There must be a change in management at Hockey Canada, I believe, to revive that public belief.”

“The truth that these questions at the moment are being requested by way of these fairly staggering bills, for the board of administrators is one thing that, I believe signifies that there are people inside Hockey Canada, which are involved in regards to the lack of accountability round sexual violence and sexual harassment, and anxious about the place Hockey Canada’s present management [and] the place their priorities appear to be.”