Canadian Heritage Committee on July 27th, 2022

[Scott Smith]

Madam Chair, first and foremost, I don't believe I had a different attitude in June. In June, and in May and in 2018, I, as well as everyone else, took these allegations and the situation very seriously and considered them troubling.

June was the first time I've ever appeared before this committee. If, for some reason, I left people with an opinion other than what I intended, I apologize for that. I can tell you without any question that my attitude in June was out of the utmost respect for this committee but also in the interest of the young woman, and it continues to be maintained today. Finally, my attitude is also focused going forward on delivering on an action plan to ensure that these events never happen again.

[Sébastien Lemire, Bloc, Abitibi—Témiscamingue, QC]

You said you wanted to stay on if you have the confidence of the board of directors. I would like to mention that I am questioning that confidence myself.

Are the board members still fit to make the decision to remain in office, given that they were aware of certain situations and did not act?

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

You have 30 seconds.

[Sébastien Lemire, Bloc, Abitibi—Témiscamingue, QC]

I think this speaks to the lack of diversity within senior management and overall leadership of Hockey Canada.

I think the idea of having more women, more representatives of diversity, including young people and people from different cultures, including more francophones and Quebeckers, could be part of the solution.

So, Mr. Smith, I expect to see a major overhaul of all senior management, including the board of directors.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

Thank you.

I would ask Mr. Nater to take the chair for 10 minutes. I have an emergency that I must attend to right now.

Thank you, John, for being generous with your time.

The next person up is going to be Peter Julian for two and a half minutes.

[Peter Julian, NDP, New Westminster—Burnaby, BC]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Mr. Smith, the public has lost faith in Hockey Canada. Sponsors are running away. Members of the women's Olympic team and Sheldon Kennedy have made it very clear that they do not have confidence in Hockey Canada.

You submitted an action plan just a few days ago. This plan has several elements that should have been in place years ago.

When we look at Hockey Canada's history of harassment and racism, we see that in June 2020, over two years ago, the organization reported that it was putting in place a database to record incidents of racism and harassment.

Has this data tracking system been implemented?

[Scott Smith]

Mr. Chair, in late June of 2021, our members, based on work from within our membership and our board, approved a new rule 11 that was intended to address all forms of maltreatment on the ice. That rule was approved in June at a special meeting to ensure that it was available for use and in our rule book for the start of the 2021-22 hockey season.

In addition to that, we built a tracking system to track all of those incidents with each of our 13 members. We have committed to provide that or include the results of that tracking in our annual report, which is presented and also made available to the public at our November annual general meeting.

[Peter Julian, NDP, New Westminster—Burnaby, BC]

Are you saying that the system is in place and that you now have the data?

[Scott Smith]

We reported the data to our members at our year-end meeting at the end of May or first of June in Moncton, New Brunswick.

[Peter Julian, NDP, New Westminster—Burnaby, BC]

Will you now make this public?

[Scott Smith]

Sorry. I don't—

[Peter Julian, NDP, New Westminster—Burnaby, BC]

It's a matter of transparency.

[The Vice-Chair, Conservative, John Nater]

That's time, but I will allow Mr. Smith to answer the question.

[Scott Smith]

I believe we've committed to include that in our annual report that we present at our November meeting.

[The Vice-Chair, Conservative, John Nater]

Thank you.

Next up we have Mr. Waugh for five minutes.

[Kevin Waugh, Conservative, Saskatoon—Grasswood, SK]

Mr. Smith, on June 20 I called you out, saying it's a cover-up and you own it. At least today you admitted you have started to own it.

Hockey Canada has a problem. I was a broadcaster before I was an MP, as you know, for over 40 years. I covered the Western Hockey League extensively. I am very happy that you're doing a full governance review. I've had dozens of calls from agents and from players citing Bob Nicholson, Tom Renney and you. It is top down in Hockey Canada. You are the biggest sport organization this country has.

Part of the problem I'm hearing is that the board is not connected with the CEOs. Bob Nicholson told the board, “I'm doing this; follow me.” Tom Renney only had a few years; the same. Now you're in the chair. I hope the governance review will follow other national sport organizations in this country in giving the board of directors the power over the CEOs. Bob Nicholson, Tom Renney and you were too powerful. The boards of hockey need to take this over. Canadians coast to coast know this. Players, agents, coaches, general managers and the Canadian Hockey League know this. They keep things from Hockey Canada. I'm going to get into this later with David Branch, Gilles Courteau and Ron Robison.

Hockey Canada needs to change at the board level, Mr. Smith. This is where it has to start. The board has to control Hockey Canada. What Bob Nicholson, Tom Renney and now you...is not working. Canadians have told you this. They've lost trust. The only trust you are going to get back from moms and dads and players is that the board directs you as the CEO.

Can we get that assurance from you? I know that you just took over for the last month, but we saw it with Nicholson and Renney. We don't want to see the same leadership from you. Canadians have asked that.

[Scott Smith]

Mr. Chair, first of all, I would like to clarify that I certainly take ownership for some things that we could have done better through the process. I did not take ownership of a cover-up. I want to be clear on that.

[Kevin Waugh, Conservative, Saskatoon—Grasswood, SK]

Yes; I called you out on that. Thank you.

[Scott Smith]

I serve at the pleasure of the board. I report to the board of directors. I am 100% accountable to them. I think if you spoke to our board, they would tell you that I as well as our senior management staff provide to them good counsel on the day-to-day operations, but as the governors of our organization, they have the ability to set the direction from their level.

I serve at the pleasure of the board of directors. I went through an extensive process in negotiating my agreement with the personnel committee. The full board is aware of that, and I serve at their pleasure.

Thank you.

[Kevin Waugh, Conservative, Saskatoon—Grasswood, SK]

I'm hearing that 2018 board members weren't consulted, just the chair. The chair kept it between, at that time, Tom Renney and the chair of Hockey Canada. It does not come down to the board members, and that's wrong.

The governance is wrong. As the most powerful sport organization in this country, it must change. It must change.

[Scott Smith]

If I may, Mr. Chair, as I said, the current board of directors, all of them, have a copy of the report. The board of directors—

[Kevin Waugh, Conservative, Saskatoon—Grasswood, SK]

The problem is that they were not consulted. In fact, Mr. McCurdie said it. While you were flying back to Calgary, he should have been phoning the board—“we need an emergency meeting”—on June 19. That didn't happen. Instead, you were flying back to Calgary when Mr. McCurdie should have called, or had you or Mr. Renney call, an emergency meeting with the board of governors, with Hockey Canada. That's not happened.

[Scott Smith]

Mr. Chair, I think that if you look at our action plan—and our board of directors has had input and has endorsed the action plan—we're looking at a full governance review.

[Kevin Waugh, Conservative, Saskatoon—Grasswood, SK]

I get that.

[Scott Smith]

If there are improvements and better ways for our organization, then we're certainly prepared to accept that.