Hugh Fraser thought he had a decent handle on his new role.
For the most part, that was true.
Weeks into chairing Hockey Canada’s newly minted board of directors — and with plenty already on his plate as he looked to help resurrect the scandal-plagued national sport organization following months of cringe-inducing, in-the-muck headlines — Fraser was in Halifax for January’s world junior hockey championship final.
The host country secured a dramatic overtime victory to capture gold. Medals were about to be handed out.
The retired judge had no idea that was part of the gig.
“Something nobody told me came with the job,” Fraser recalled with a laugh of doling out post-tournament hardware.
“I found out like 10 minutes before. That aspect never occurred to me.”
He could be forgiven. There was a lot on his mind.
To help Hockey Canada out of a dismal period that began 12 months ago Friday, when it was revealed a woman alleged she had been sexually assaulted by members of the 2018 world junior team in London, Ont., four years earlier, Fraser this week reflected on the first five months of a leadership term nearing its midway point.
After the federal government paused funding, corporate sponsors jumped ship, secret accounts and more scandals emerged, and Hockey Canada’s previous bosses were grilled by a parliamentary committee, he’s confident the federation is on the right track with a board of directors focused on oversight, transparency and accountability.
“The challenge is getting that message across — that there’s a different approach,” the 70-year-old said in an interview with The Canadian Press. “It’s been a seven-day a week job for the board.
“The will was always there … but the biggest challenge is squeezing an awful lot in a relatively short period.”
That included demonstrating to the government there’s been progress — funding was restored last month — and showing corporate and provincial partners the governance changes outlined in a report by former Supreme Court judge Thomas Cromwell are being taken seriously.
Fraser, who also handed out medals at the recent women’s world championship in Brampton, Ont., said sponsorship dollars are closing in on levels seen at this time last year in a rebound from that mass corporate exodus, but it took a lot of face-to-face meetings.
“We had to, literally, on a one-by-one, partner-by-partner, sponsor-by-sponsor basis, sit down with them,” he said. “This is the plan, this is the goal, these are the priorities.
“This is what we’ve achieved and what we believe we can achieve.”
Fraser said most were receptive to the first meetings, but needed to see action.
“We wanted to know, ‘What things do you think we need to do? What suggestions do you have?”‘ he said. “We did a lot of listening and we saw the alignment.
“We said, ‘Check with us again in a couple of months to see if you see the measurable progress.”‘
There were also difficult decisions at Hockey Canada in a year with those significant funding cuts. Some sponsors wanted to continue support, but only for the women’s and para programs, along with grassroots efforts.
“It meant being leaner in some areas,” said Fraser, who spoke with CP from the men’s world hockey championship in Finland. “In some cases, we had to do more, or maintain, with less.”
The job is far from done. It’s also been a long road just getting to this point.
Hockey Canada’s spring, summer and fall of discontent started when TSN reported on May 26, 2022, that a $3.55-million lawsuit filed by the woman in the London case had been quickly and quietly settled out of court.
Then the floodgates opened.
The ensuing disastrous five-month stretch saw the prime minister repeatedly weigh in, Fraser’s two predecessors as Hockey Canada chair resign, and the board step down the same day CEO Scott Smith left the organization in October.
Fraser was like a lot of Canadians watching the saga unfold.
“Surprised, concerned,” he said. “Wondering what else you’re going to learn.”
A third-party report by a Toronto law firm into the 2018 incident — including interviews with players, coaches and staff — commissioned by Hockey Canada has been handed over to an independent panel to determine the path forward, including potential sanctions. The report has also been shared with police.
No one has been charged and none of the allegations have been proven in court. All members of the 2018 junior team, however, were barred from playing at the men’s worlds this spring. The NHL is also conducting its own investigation.
Meanwhile, Fraser said the search for Smith’s replacement — “we’re getting close” — continues more than seven months after his departure.
“A complex national sport organization that has a lot going on,” Fraser said of Hockey Canada. “We need somebody with a really strong range of skills.
“But above all else, somebody that shares and embraces our vision.”
That doesn’t necessarily mean the person will be picked from the hockey sphere.
“We want the best candidate,” Fraser said. “Whether they come from a hockey background or not.”
That was Fraser, to a certain degree, before he put his name forward to be board chair last fall.
A Jamaican immigrant, he settled in Ottawa and often ran the scoreboard clock at his sons’ minor hockey games when he wasn’t on the judge’s bench. One of the kids, Mark, made the NHL and now works for the Toronto Maple Leafs as the team’s manager for culture and inclusion.
Twelve months after Hockey Canada’s gilded world started to crumble, and five months into a role he never imagined would be part of his journey, Fraser is convinced tangible strides have been made.
And that the future is bright.
“That really does give us the motivation,” he said. “When you take that brief moment to reflect, if we could say that we helped make a positive contribution, it will have been worth it.
“You can sit on the sidelines and complain and criticize … or try to be part of the solution.”
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 26, 2023.
OTTAWA – Conservative MP Garnett Genuis told a federal inquiry today that parliamentarians who were targeted by Chinese hackers could have taken immediate protective steps if they had been informed sooner.
It emerged earlier this year that in 2021 some MPs and senators faced cyberattacks from the hackers because of their involvement with the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, which pushes for accountability from Beijing.
In 2022, U.S. authorities apparently informed the Canadian government of the attacks, and it in turn advised parliamentary IT officials — but not individual MPs.
Genuis, a Canadian co-chair of the inter-parliamentary alliance, told a federal commission of inquiry on foreign interference today that it remains mysterious to him why he wasn’t informed about the attacks sooner.
Liberal MP John McKay, also a Canadian co-chair of the alliance, said there should be a clear protocol for advising parliamentarians of cyberthreats.
Several weeks of public inquiry hearings will focus on the capacity of federal agencies to detect, deter and counter foreign meddling.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024.
TORONTO – After being drafted in the third round (61st overall) of the 2023 MLS SuperDraft, forward Charlie Sharp decided to put his dream of playing professional football on hold.
He spent a couple of weeks training with Toronto FC that summer and then returned for a fifth year at Western Michigan University.
“It was a really tough decision for me,” Sharp recalled. “Because I knew that going back to school, nothing was guaranteed. I could get injured or not perform well, but it seemed to really work out for me.”
Sharp scored 19 goals and added eight assists as a senior, leading the Broncos to a 17-2-3 record and a third-round appearance in the NCAA tournament where they eventually lost to national runner-up Notre Dame on penalty kicks. Sharp, who scored or assisted in nine of his last 10 matches, ranked first in the NCAA with 0.95 goals per game and 2.30 points per game and was tied for second with seven game-winning goals.
The 23-year-old Sharp, whose rights were retained by Toronto, spent time with the TFC first team in this year’s pre-season and signed with Toronto FC II in February. On Tuesday, he joined TFC 2 teammate Nate Edwards, a wingback from Brampton, Ont., in signing a first-team contract.
“We are happy to officially elevate Charlie at this time,” Toronto GM Jason Hernandez said in a statement Tuesday. “His strong mentality and mature playing style will be a welcomed addition to our young player group in the first team.”
Both players signed contracts that run through 2025 with club options for 2026 and 2027.
The deals were completed in advance of Friday’s MLS roster freeze but took their time working their way through the league office.
“A bit of unorthodox path that I chose,” said Sharp. “But I think you’re seeing it more now with players that get drafted.”
“I’m super-happy,” he added. “I think I made the right decision.”
As a senior, Sharp was one of three finalists for the 2023 MAC Hermann Trophy, which honours the top NCAA soccer player. The award eventually went to Clemson senior forward Ousmane Sylla.
The six-foot-five 185-pounder from Brighton, Mich., finished his collegiate career with 42 goals 22 assists, and 106 points in 89 games. He ranks first in career goals and games and tied for fourth in assists for Western Michigan.
In returning to Kalamazoo for a fifth year, Sharp also succeeded off the pitch by completing his degree in computer information systems.
Despite some niggling injuries, Sharp has five goals and two assists in 16 appearances with TFC 2 this season. He made his first-team debut off the bench May 15 against Nashville.
“I had a lot of friends and family watching,” he said.
“It’s been a journey,” Sharp added. “I’ve been thankful for every step of the way.,”
The 21-year-old Edwards has one goal and two assists in 23 games with TFC’s MLS Next Pro team.
“He has been a top performer with TFC II this season and we look forward to his continued growth within our environment,” said Hernandez
Edwards, who also joined TFC 2 in February, made his first-team debut May 21 in Canadian Championship play against Ligue1 Quebec champion CS Saint-Laurent.
The five-foot-eight 167-pounder split his college career between Syracuse University and Purdue University Fort Wayne. As a senior in 2023, he had one goal and four assists for Syracuse and was named to the 2023 All-Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Academic Team and College Sport Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District Team.
At Purdue University Fort Wayne, he had two goals and an assist in 40 appearances across three seasons (2020-2022) with the Mastodons.
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024.
CALGARY – A Calgary man who pleaded guilty to sharing Islamic State recruitment videos and propaganda on TikTok will spend the next six years behind bars.
Zakarya Rida Hussein was sentenced during a court appearance on Friday after he pleaded guilty to one of four terrorism-related charges.
Hussein admitted that he owned social media accounts that posted ISIS recruitment videos and propaganda.
He also admitted to sharing a bomb-making video online.
The man was arrested in June 2023 after a joint investigation led by the RCMP and the Calgary Police Service.
Hussein will need to submit DNA results and will be under lifetime ban from owning firearms after he’s released.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024.
