Trigger warning: This article discusses sexual assault.
Hockey Canada’s handling of the sexual assault allegations involving the 2018 World Junior Championship teams has read like a handbook of what not to do, and the game’s biggest advocates for victims of abuse have seen enough — none more than Sheldon Kennedy, who called for the resignation of Hockey Canada CEO Scott Smith and the organization’s leadership group Tuesday.
Smith and president Tom Renney testified in June before the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage that the members of the 2018 World Junior team, eight of whom are facing allegations of sexually assaulting an unidentified woman following a Hockey Canada event in June 2018, were not obligated to co-operate with the investigation into the matter. The revelation created massive fallout for the bungling of the investigation. The Canadian government froze funding for Hockey Canada, and many high-profile corporate sponsors backed away from the organization.
In the weeks since, the NHL has committed to investigating the alleged incident, the London Police have reopened the investigation and the players’ reported victim has indicated she will participate in Hockey Canada’s reopened investigation. Hockey Canada has released a series of promises to improve its conduct, from an open letter to, earlier this week, an action plan for changing the “toxic behavior” within the sport and promoting accountability, safety and inclusivity while establishing a tracking system for reporting abuse.
But for Kennedy, one of the country’s pioneering leaders in coming forward about sexual abuse and advocating for accountability in the sport, the gestures from Hockey Canada ring hollow. He believes the organization’s leadership must face direct consequences for its handling of the 2018 investigation, which led to a lawsuit filed by the reported victim this past April that was settled in May.
He released the following statement on Twitter Tuesday:
The statement followed one Monday from Respect Group Inc., a company Kennedy co-founded, which devotes itself to combatting harassment, bullying and discrimination in the workplace. In response to Hockey Canada’s action plan announcement, Respect Group pledged to continue educating parents, grassroots organizations and leaders within the sport on how to make hockey a safe environment.
The call for Smith’s resignation came hours after new hearings and testimony regarding the 2018 case began before the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage Tuesday, with Hockey Canada senior vice president of risk management and insurance Glen McCurdie and third-party investigator Danielle Robitaille speaking as witnesses.
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