Thank you, Chair.
Thank you to all the witnesses for being here today.
I'd especially like to thank you, Ryan, on behalf of the whole committee. We are happy you are here. Sharing your story will prompt real action and give hope to many. Thank you for your testimony today.
To begin, it's clear to me, from looking at all the different witness testimony we've heard, that when people bring forward an accusation of sexual abuse or any kind of situation within the sport, it goes nowhere. There's total protectionism within the sport. There's no action taken. Then they escalate it up to places like OSIC. Nothing happens. It goes to Sport Canada. Nothing happens. It goes to the minister's office. Nothing happens.
It seems clear to me that immediate actions need to be taken, even in advance of a national inquiry, which can take a really long time and cost a lot of money. I was a youth leader for years; I was involved in Sunday school. Whenever there was any kind of allegation of abuse, it went to the police for a report. There was a registry. People would have to go and get checked out by the police to ensure that no complaints had been brought against them in order for them to continue to be in place.
When I hear stories of coaches who have abused and then have moved across the country and gotten another job, and of CEOs who have done nothing when they've seen abuse and gotten another job, it's clear to me that it needs to go outside the sport sphere.
I'll start with you, Ryan. Do you agree with that? What would your view be?