Canadian Heritage Committee on June 20th, 2022

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

Thank you.

As you know, this is hour three of our hearings. We have present with us today the Minister of Sport, the Honourable Pascale St-Onge, and her deputy minister, Isabelle Mondou.

Without any further ado, I will welcome the minister.

Welcome, Minister. You have five minutes to present. Then there will be a question and answer period. Thank you very much.

Please begin, Minister.

[Pascale St-Onge, Liberal, Minister of Sport]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Good afternoon, members of the committee.

This is the first time I have appeared before your committee in my capacity as minister, although I would have preferred to do so in different circumstances. I would nevertheless like to thank you for the opportunity to give you my perspective on this situation.

I must say at the outset that I was deeply shocked by this affair. I wholly share the indignation Canadians feel as a result of it, and my thoughts are first and foremost with the alleged victim.

What we learned on Thursday, May 26, rightly shook the entire country. Apart from the indignation we feel, we have some serious questions about the significance of that incident.

This is a sadly troubling example of sexual violence based on gender and a culture of silence. That culture shields individuals who face allegations of appalling behaviour from accountability for their actions. In the meantime, the victims bear a heavy burden for the rest of their lives. This culture of silence hasn't emerged on its own; it is fostered by the choices made by officials and individuals in leadership positions in sports organizations.

Madam Chair, after everything we have lived through in recent years, particularly with the #MeToo Movement, this type of culture must no longer be tolerated. Given the facts reported by the media, we may well wonder why this organization chose not to send out a clear message of zero tolerance of sexual misconduct.

There is no question that the right of the victim to privacy in this case is absolutely paramount and must be protected. Too often, those who come forward with their experiences of sexual abuse are revictimized in the very system that is there to protect them. This is a powerful reason why so many remain silent.

It is the responsibility of our leaders in sport and society to condemn this type of behaviour. They must also make every possible effort to prevent sexual violence in the clubs, teams and events that they run and for which they set the code of conduct and rules of engagement. Abusers and those who are complicit must be held accountable for their actions—or lack thereof. Zero tolerance for maltreatment and abuse in sport is the only option.

All those in positions of leadership and authority must help put an end to the trivialization of sexual violence. I hope that everyone listening to us today hears that message and that they will join in our collective effort to put an end to this type of violence.

Since 2018, under the contribution agreements with Sport Canada, the sport organizations that we fund have had a responsibility to report assault and maltreatment cases to us. This enables Sport Canada to perform two tasks: first, to ensure that the organization in question has established and enforces policies on maltreatment and, second, to verify that complainants have access to an independent third party to review complaints and conduct investigations or that they are directed to the competent authorities. Under this protocol, Hockey Canada reported the incident to Sport Canada, which ensured that both of those tasks had been completed. You will therefore understand our consternation when, four years later, we learned the actual turn of events.

On May 24 of this year, two days after the article on the incident was published, I received a call from Tom Renney, the president of Hockey Canada, informing me that the media would be reporting a story about sexual assault allegations involving hockey players dating back to 2018. Mr. Renney told me that an out‑of‑court settlement had been reached and concluded by telling me that he was prevented by a confidentiality agreement from providing me with any further information. I therefore learned the details of this sordid affair at the same time as other Canadians.

I would also like to note that, as Minister of Sport, my connection with sport organizations is mainly financial. I have therefore requested that an audit be conducted to ensure that no public funds were used in this sad affair. I have read Hockey Canada's statement on the matter but nevertheless feel we must work together to get to the bottom of it. I want to assure you of my full and wholehearted cooperation.

It's not unreasonable now to imagine that many of the eight players subject to these gang rape allegations enjoy lucrative professional careers. What message does that send to our young men, daughters, parents and sports fans?

I think the professional sport community has some soul-searching to do. Amateur and professional leagues alike must conduct themselves as responsible corporate citizens. The officials in those leagues, who have an enormous audience and considerable social influence, must send a clear message about responsibility and zero tolerance for sexual violence.

I would also like to add that this sport gradually occupies a larger part of players' lives as they move on to careers in the professional ranks. In my view, the people supporting these young players and the organizations themselves have a responsibility to supervise the players adequately, particularly with regard to issues of consent and toxic sexual behaviour.

Members of the committee, this is why your work today is so important. This is a key moment for sport, in all respects. Major efforts are now being made to effect a cultural change in which toxic behaviour and assault have no place.

I recently announced measures to increase accountability and promote better governance in the sport organizations that we fund. In our last budget, we allocated $16 million to establish the Office of the Sport Integrity Commissioner, an independent mechanism that athletes and organizations have called for to handle complaints.

We will continue to work hard to make our sports safe, but those efforts must also be supported by those in leadership positions in all aspects of sport. We can no longer tolerate incidents like the one that shocked us on May 26. It can't happen again.

Thank you.

I'm now ready to answer your questions.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

Thank you very much, Minister.

We're now going to go to the round of questions. The first is a six-minute round.

As you're well aware, Minister, the six minutes include questions and answers.

I'm going to begin with the Conservative Party and Richard Martel.

[Richard Martel, Conservative, Chicoutimi—Le Fjord, QC]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Minister, thank you for being with us.

Hockey Canada has said that the Department of Canadian Heritage was aware of the allegations in 2018.

Ms. Mondou, you were around at the time. Were you the deputy minister in 2018?

[Isabelle Mondou, Deputy Minister, Department of Canadian Heritage]

No, I took up that position in October 2018.

[Richard Martel, Conservative, Chicoutimi—Le Fjord, QC]

Minister, when were you made aware of these allegations?

[Pascale St-Onge, Liberal, Brome—Missisquoi, QC]

As I said in my opening statement, I was made aware of the allegations when Tom Renney, the president of Hockey Canada, called me on May 24 last, two days before the article revealing the affair was published.

He called to advise me that a story about sexual misconduct allegations would be coming out in the media in the following days. He thought it would be the next day, but it ultimately took another day. He told me that the allegations dated back to 2018 and involved some hockey players. He also said at the time that an out‑of‑court settlement had been reached and that he was prevented by a confidentiality agreement from disclosing any further information to me. I therefore learned about the rest of the story in the newspapers at the same time as everyone else.

[Richard Martel, Conservative, Chicoutimi—Le Fjord, QC]

Do you think it would be appropriate to have your predecessors, Ms. Duncan and Mr. Guilbeault, come and testify?

[Pascale St-Onge, Liberal, Brome—Missisquoi, QC]

Here's what I know about how this kind of information is handled. In 2018, my predecessor, Ms. Duncan, introduced the Universal Code of Conduct to Prevent and Address Maltreatment in Sport. Since then, organizations that receive federal funding have been required to report all assault cases and complaints in the sport community to Sport Canada.

A few days after the interviews I gave on the affair, I was advised that information had been sent to Sport Canada on June 26, 2018. I could read you the information that was forwarded to me.

[Richard Martel, Conservative, Chicoutimi—Le Fjord, QC]

I understand the background you're giving us, but the fact remains that, in 2018, the Minister of Sport at the time declared that organizations were required to report assault and harassment allegations or else they would lose their federal funding.

So I wonder now why you're calling for a mere audit of Hockey Canada. In view of what happened, why isn't Hockey Canada's funding automatically suspended?

[Pascale St-Onge, Liberal, Brome—Missisquoi, QC]

Organizations are required to report cases and to take appropriate measures. According to the information I received at the time, Hockey Canada had contacted the police. We didn't learn that an out‑of‑court agreement had been reached between the parties until four years later. That's why I requested that a financial audit be conducted to ensure public funding hadn't been used in that affair.

[Richard Martel, Conservative, Chicoutimi—Le Fjord, QC]

Minister, do you sincerely think the audit will reveal anything?

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

You have one minute, Mr. Martel.

[Richard Martel, Conservative, Chicoutimi—Le Fjord, QC]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Minister, why didn't you take stronger measures instead by calling, for example, for a more exhaustive investigation to be conducted by a third-party into the facts and actions of the members of Hockey Canada to determine what they did and what they knew? The players in question are still employed by Hockey Canada.

Why don't you take stronger measures than just requesting a financial audit?

[Pascale St-Onge, Liberal, Brome—Missisquoi, QC]

What connects Sport Canada to the sport organizations it funds are, first and foremost, all the contribution agreements. The only lever available to me to conduct an investigation is to request a financial audit.

[Richard Martel, Conservative, Chicoutimi—Le Fjord, QC]

Who in the department was aware of the allegations at the time?

[Pascale St-Onge, Liberal, Brome—Missisquoi, QC]

On June 26, 2018, Hockey Canada made a statement or report to Sport Canada. As I said, I was informed of the affair a few days after the story broke in the media.

[Richard Martel, Conservative, Chicoutimi—Le Fjord, QC]

How much time do I have left, Madam Chair?

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

Thank you very much, Mr. Martel. I think your time is up.

I'm going to go now to Tim Louis for the Liberals for six minutes.

[Tim Louis, Liberal, Kitchener—Conestoga, ON]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Minister St-Onge, for being here and thank you, Madame Mondou, for this very important conversation.

To claim that these serious allegations are disturbing is probably an understatement, from the testimony we've heard. Some may feel that this matter is settled, but that's not the case. There are questions about players' accountability, about systematic abusive behaviour and about what happens moving forward, which is why I appreciate your being here today.

I think we all agree that this abusive behaviour should not be tolerated or accepted. I want to give you, as the Minister of Sport, a chance to expand on what your reaction was when you learned about the Hockey Canada situation.

[Pascale St-Onge, Liberal, Brome—Missisquoi, QC]

I made the safety of athletes in sport a priority when I took up this position, and I've enhanced the accountability and governance of organizations since the start of my mandate. Above all, I use the levers available to me to ensure better oversight of sport organizations, all for the purpose, first and foremost, of protecting athletes more effectively.

When I heard about the affair involving Hockey Canada and read what had been reported in the media, I was absolutely outraged. Like all Canadians, I had some serious questions about the accountability of the players and the reasons why Hockey Canada had entered into an out‑of‑court settlement. Since it was one of the levers available to me, I requested that a financial audit be conducted. I wanted to ensure that no public funds had been used.

More generally, one of the initiatives I have announced is the creation of the Office of the Sport Integrity Commissioner. The new commissioner will take up her duties today and will have authority to receive complaints from athletes and to handle them independently.

[Tim Louis, Liberal, Kitchener—Conestoga, ON]

Thank you.

Minister, you've mentioned a financial audit for this out-of-court settlement. Can you explain to us the steps that will be needed to respond to this request? What comes next?

[Pascale St-Onge, Liberal, Brome—Missisquoi, QC]

Canadian Heritage, and more specifically Sport Canada, will be auditing funding recipients to ensure that Hockey Canada complied with the terms of its existing contribution agreements with the department for the April 1, 2018 to March 31, 2023 period. It will apply to future commitments as well. Samson, the firm hired to conduct the audit, is currently examining the documentation in order to plan the audit.

Samson will be visiting Hockey Canada, on‑site, between June 27 and July 7, 2022, for its auditors to conduct a financial review of expenditures reported to Sport Canada. They will accordingly be able to verify the eligibility of these expenditures, and Hockey Canada's governance structure. They will also check Hockey Canada's internal controls and implementation policies in the administration of the department's funding.

The auditors may also examine current policies and processes for dealing with requirements pertaining to harassment and assault, dispute resolution, anti-doping measures and any other requirements in the policies, as set out in the contribution agreements.

Following the on‑site visit, and between now and the end of July 2022, the auditors will wrap up their review and prepare the preliminary findings for validation purposes. A draft of the report is expected by the end of August 2022. This report will be sent to Hockey Canada for validation and to obtain responses to the recommendations made by the firm.

[Tim Louis, Liberal, Kitchener—Conestoga, ON]

Thank you for that quick and decisive response.

Our thoughts here are with the alleged victim. I can't help but say we shouldn't be having conversations about women being abused; we should be having conversations about men not abusing women. If we keep using the same systems, how can we expect different outcomes? What are your expectations of Canada's sports organizations with respect to safe sport?

[Pascale St-Onge, Liberal, Brome—Missisquoi, QC]

Since the start of my mandate, I have had several discussions with the leaders in the Canadian sport system. I asked them to contribute to the efforts being made and to make full use of their leadership to break down the culture of silence in sport and to introduce appropriate measures to prevent assault and abuse. We are going to set up a committee of athletes at Sport Canada so that they can tell us about their concerns, their ideas and their solutions, and also keep us informed about any new measures introduced.

As I mentioned, the government and the sports organizations are bound by the contribution agreements. We will completely review the funding system and the contribution agreements. We are going to introduce new measures in the form of a system of checks and balances, for accountability, and to ensure that checks are carried out and implemented. Their purpose is to prevent assaults and, when incidents occur, to break the silence so that people to stand up and take action.