After his three months at the helm of Hockey Canada were embroiled in controversy and the organization facing calls for major leadership change, Chief Executive Officer Scott Smith is out, “effective immediately.”
As well, the entire Hockey Canada board of directors has agreed to step down, “recognizing the urgent need for new leadership and perspectives.”
In a statement announcing the leadership team changes, Hockey Canada said that an “interim management committee will be put in place” to guide the organization until the next slate of directors appoints a new CEO. Smith had been leading the organization since July 1.
Appointing an entirely new board of directors is expected to happen “no later” than the recently-delayed election now scheduled for Dec. 17. The organization has made a call-out for candidates to “shape the future” of Hockey Canada.
The scandal stretches back to May of this year when TSN first reported that Hockey Canada had reached an undisclosed settlement with a woman who alleged she was sexually assaulted in London, Ont. by several members of the Canadian world junior hockey team, in 2018.
In June, the federal government froze its funding to Hockey Canada and ordered a financial audit. That month, federal politicians began examining Hockey Canada’s handling of alleged sexual assaults and lawsuit pay-outs.
It was then revealed by The Canadian Press in July that the organization’s “National Equity Fund” partly bolstered by minor hockey registration fees was used to pay for “uninsured liabilities,” such as sexual abuse claims, a practice the organization later confirmed it was halting.
Days later, another allegation of group sexual assault surfaced involving members of the Canadian world junior hockey team in 2003. While police and NHL investigations are underway, the allegations have not been proven in court.
As part of the House of Commons Heritage Committee’s ongoing study into “safe sport in Canada,” Sport Minister Pascale St-Onge and several key current and former Hockey Canada officials have appeared as witnesses on the matter.
The testimony heard and continuing headline-making handling of the scandal by Hockey Canada has prompted all parties to call for a change to senior leadership and a full airing of the facts, with a clear plan for reform.
During one meeting, Hockey Canada revealed that it had paid out $7.6 million as part of settlements related to nine sexual assault and abuse claims since 1989, not including the recent payout to the London plaintiff.
Appearing before the committee in July, Smith acknowledged the concerns being raised by politicians, as well as athletes and advertisers, saying that Hockey Canada understood that “Canadians’ trust in us has been eroded.”
“We are committed to take every action possible to earn it back,” Smith said at the hearing. “I know you … want answers and you want to see real action taken to end the culture of silence that allows toxic behaviour and sexism to fester in corners of our game. I do too.”
Last week, after interim chair of the board of Hockey Canada Andrea Skinner testified, suggesting that it wasn’t worth risking the lights going off in Canadian rinks should all senior leaders leave, several major sponsors including Canadian Tire, Nike, and Tim Hortons pulled their support, citing disappointment over the organization’s apparent resistance to change.
Skinner resigned over the weekend, saying that it no longer made sense for her to volunteer her time, citing “recent events.” Her appearance at committee came alongside former chair Michael Brind’Amour, who left the organization in August.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, Tim Hortons media relations said the leadership changes are a “first step” towards Hockey Canada restoring faith and trust, but the fast food giant won’t consider reinstating support for the men’s programming “until we’re confident that progress is being made and Canadians once again believe in the organization’s leadership and its ability to do what’s right for the game we all love.”
The latest round of testimony also prompted Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to suggest that the organization could be replaced, saying it “boggles the mind that Hockey Canada is continuing to dig in its heels.”
On Tuesday, Trudeau said Smith’s ouster and the stepping down of the board is an important step forward, but “there is work to do to transform the culture at Hockey Canada.”
“There is an awful lot of work to ensure that the structures and systems that Hockey Canada has in place protects employees, protects Canadians, and protects our kids as they play hockey,” said the prime minister.
Reacting to Tuesday’s news, St-Onge said that Hockey Canada made “the right decision,” calling it “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. We expect Hockey Canada to actively work towards a team whose expertise will contribute to better support and training for players, and an environment exempt from sexual violence and discrimination,” she said in a statement.
Other politicians echoed the minister’s sentiment, commenting on social media that it shouldn’t have taken as long as it did for Hockey Canada to make this move.
“I am hopeful that we will finally see meaningful changes to the governance, organization, and culture of Hockey Canada,” said Conservative MP John Nater, who has been among the main questioners of the organization throughout the House Canadian Heritage Committee’s hearings. “There is still much work to do.”
In a series of tweets, Bloc Quebecois MP and committee member Sebastien Lemire said the sweeping change at the top of Hockey Canada “finally gives us a serious chance of bringing about the long-requested and long-awaited culture change” within the organization.
Lemire attributed the move to the pressure put on Hockey Canada by parliamentarians, sponsors, the media, and the general public. He said that the Bloc will continue to push for a culture change within sports to ensure safe spaces for Canadian athletes.
Hockey Canada — which has hired a public relations firm to help navigate the controversy — has pledged to address safe sport concerns, has made changes to how it uses certain funding, and has appointed a former Supreme Court justice to conduct a governance review. It has also released an “action plan” outlining how they intend to deliver on this promised reform.
The national governing body for hockey in Canada said Tuesday that the interim management committee will “focus on day-to-day operations” as well as making sure progress is being made on its commitments, as well as implementing the recommendations that come from the governance review.
With files from CTV News’ Jennifer Ferreira, and The Canadian Press
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