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.