Content warning: this article discusses sexual assault.
The woman who filed a lawsuit against Hockey Canada alleging she was sexually assaulted by Canadian national junior hockey team members in June 2018 will participate in the governing body’s reopened investigation into the matter, according to a report by Sportsnet’s Paul D. Grant.
While the woman did not previously participate in investigations led by Hockey Canada or municipal police in London, Ontario, where the alleged assault took place, her attorney confirmed to Sportsnet on Thursday that his client “will be participating in the Hockey Canada investigation.”
Earlier on Thursday, Hockey Canada published what it called “an open letter to Canadians” listing steps it says it will take “to address the behaviors, on and off the ice, that conflict with what Canadians want hockey to be, and which undermine the many good things that the game brings to our country.”
Hockey Canada’s open letter comes after many of its most influential sponsors, including Scotiabank, Telus, Tim Hortons, and Canadian Tire, retracted their support of upcoming tournaments amid demands for systemic change within the major hockey governing body.
The Canadian federal government also said it will freeze all funding to Hockey Canada signs up with a federal agency that can independently investigate abuse complaints and issue sanctions, as well as become a full signatory to the Office of the Sport Integrity Commissioner (OSIC).
Hockey Canada has threatened to ban all players who do not co-operate in its reopened investigation from all of its activities and programs. It also announced the creation of a “new independent and confidential complaint mechanism,” pledged to become a full signatory to OSIC, and said it will retain an independent, third-party expert to conduct a full governance review of the organization.
“Canadians have been loud and clear: you expect our national sport and those representing it to work hard to earn your trust each day,” Hockey Canada said in the open letter. “We have heard you and are committed to making the changes necessary to allow us to be the organization you expect us to be, and to restore your confidence and trust in us.”
The woman who filed the lawsuit against Hockey Canada in April alleged she was assaulted by eight unnamed Canadian hockey players in June 2018, including some who had played for Team Canada at the IIHF World Junior Men’s Ice Hockey Championship earlier that year.
Attorney Rob Talach, who represents the woman, also told Sportsnet his client “will not be commenting to media at this time due to the reopened investigation.”
In the open letter, Hockey Canada said it “[acknowledges] the courage of the young woman involved and [respects] her decision to participate with the investigation in the manner she chooses.”
The National Hockey League is also conducting its own investigation into the matter.
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