Canadian Heritage Committee on Oct. 4th, 2022

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

Do participants pay dues?

[Andrea Skinner]

I'm sorry. I didn't catch the question.

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

Do participants pay dues to be covered by insurance in case of accident, injury or wrongdoing?

[Andrea Skinner]

My apologies, Madam Chair. Yes, they do. The amount of $23.80 is paid by participants. About $3 of that goes to registration fees. The balance goes to insurance fees.

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

This is the case for all Hockey Canada participants, but do Canadian Hockey League players pay these dues?

[Andrea Skinner]

I'm sorry. Do you mean players or their parents? Yes, they pay an insurance fee to Hockey Canada through their member organization.

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

We will look into it.

You said that basically you disagree with the way Hockey Canada is being talked about in the media. I feel that you and your colleagues are in a bubble, that you are disconnected from the public. You convince each other that you did the right thing.

Normally, it is the board of directors' responsibility to be the watchdog of senior management. Right now, you are acting as the executive arm of senior management. You are helping to maintain the toxic culture. You don't understand that it's up to you to make sure you communicate your message well. You accuse the media, the public and elected officials of misunderstanding your message.

We remain on the lookout for the next revelation that, once again, will outrage us. We have seen today that you are protecting a message rather than acting with transparency. Your role would have been to supervise and manage the safe and healthy practice of our national sport by our children, I remind you.

I thank you for your presence, nonetheless.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

Thank you, Mr. Lemire.

I will go now to Mr. Julian.

Peter, you have two and a half minutes.

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

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Ms. Skinner, this is on the issue of implementation. You're talking about a plan of action and implementation. Hockey Canada under its current leadership has had a very poor track record of implementing, whether we're talking about anti-sexual abuse recommendations or anti-racism tracking; none of those have been implemented.

Danielle Robitaille testified on July 26 before this committee that her recommendations in the interim report that was provided in the wake of the horrific allegations of the 2018 sexual violence had not been implemented. I asked her, and she said, “There were recommendations around alcohol that were implemented.” That is, of course, the issue of underage drinking, which Hockey Canada should never have condoned in the first place.

Why have these recommendations not been implemented by Hockey Canada?

[Andrea Skinner]

The recommendations have been implemented. I believe Ms. Robitaille was incorrect when she made that comment. She simply may not have known, so I certainly don't fault her for that. The recommendations have been implemented.

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

Okay.

Will you provide to this committee the interim report, and will you provide as well the balance in the funds currently for both the national equity fund and the participants legacy trust fund?

[Andrea Skinner]

The committee has been provided with the recommendations from the interim report. It is subject to solicitor-client privilege, so I don't believe that's something that we've provided at this point.

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

Yes. That's why I'm asking. As board chair, will you commit to providing that to the committee?

[Andrea Skinner]

I'm happy to give it some further thought. I'm concerned that it could affect the integrity of the ongoing investigation and the work that Henein Hutchison is doing, so at this point my answer is no.

In terms of the balances of the funds, I'm sure we can provide that information to you.

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

There is very clearly a disconnect here between the Canadian public—Canadian parents, who are asking for more transparency from Hockey Canada, and the Hockey Canada leadership. I regret that this is something that has not permeated the organization. It's not through public relations. It's through concrete transparency and taking responsibility, so that Hockey Canada can regain the confidence of the Canadian public.

It's our national winter sport. It's a very important sport. This is a very important organization. I have been profoundly disappointed by the lack of transparency from Hockey Canada, at three hearings now since June, where the answers have just not been forthcoming and the transparency has not been present. I believe Hockey Canada can do much better for hockey parents and for the Canadian public.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

Thank you, Mr. Julian.

Before I end this session, I would like to make a comment as the chair.

I have heard questions being asked; I have not heard a lot of answers being given. I still feel distressed and disturbed, to some extent, that there doesn't seem to be, among the witnesses, a sense of accountability...to be rational and reasonable about what everyone is deeming to be a “culture”. I know we are dealing only with the 2018 incident, but that incident does not stand alone. We have heard that since 2003 this has been the thing: sweeping it under the rug, helping somebody to walk away, giving them payment and leaving it at that. Those are profoundly disturbing things, so for me, that means there's a culture.

I am really quite distressed to hear that everyone believes that the current leadership, which has been at the helm while all of this has been happening, should be kept because it is a grade A team.

I just wanted to place that on the table. I don't believe that we have come to any kind of conclusion, because we have not had any sense of responsibility. Blaming everyone else does not mean that there's a sense of accountability.

That being said and letting my distress be known, I would like to entertain a motion to adjourn.

[An hon. member]

I so move.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

The meeting is adjourned.