Canadian Heritage Committee on March 30th, 2023

[Vittorio Montagliani]

It wasn't the American team, per se, that advised us. The premise and the principles of what was started when I was exiting as president were very similar, if not identical, to what has transpired in the U.S. under what's called Soccer United Marketing, or SUM. There was a 25-year relationship between SUM and U.S. Soccer, which also not only created Major League Soccer, as we know, with three of our own Canadian teams in there, but also produced a multi-billion dollar industry in the game.

It wasn't the American team.

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

When you talked to them, did someone on your board of directors defend the idea that women's soccer should also get priority in these agreements and a women's league should be created?

[Vittorio Montagliani]

The issue of creating a women's league was never not discussed. In fact, it was important, and as Nick Bontis already said, we had committed significant resources to ensuring that our women's national team was playing in, at that time, a very top league; the NWSL obviously still is a top league.

The sequencing was that by creating the CPL shortly thereafter—we're only three years after the kickoff—the environment would be created to bring on investors to create a women's league, which, by the looks of it, with the initiative of Project 8, is hopefully going to be a reality.

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

In no case was it felt that demands had been made or that latitude had been provided so that in the wake of the women's team successes and their gold medal, a portion of the sponsorships would go to them.

Why was the women's team prevented from getting a portion of the sponsorships?

[Vittorio Montagliani]

Who is the question addressed to?

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

You can answer, Mr. Montagliani.

[Vittorio Montagliani]

On the question of sponsorship, when you.... Those agreements, whether it's the SUM agreement or the CSB agreement, are sponsorship agreements. We were leaving a previous sponsorship agreement with IMG, which was obviously a lot less.

It wasn't so much about sponsors. To create a league, it's not about sponsorship. A league cannot live on sponsorship. A league needs to have investors, deep-pocketed investors, and a good media deal. Sponsorships are not what—

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

Looking back, would you say it was a good agreement? Would you make the same agreement, yes or no?

[Vittorio Montagliani]

I don't know all the details and specifics of all the clauses of the agreement. I can tell you that the principle of this agreement is no different from what happens throughout the world. The aggregation of your assets is the only way to build equity in your game.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

Thank you very much, and thank you, Sébastien.

I go now to the New Democrats and Peter Julian.

Peter, you have six minutes.

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

Thank you, Madam Chair.

I want to start off by saying as a former soccer coach how important it is for Canada Soccer to be transparent, how important it is for Canada Soccer to ensure that children and athletes are safe, and how important it is for Canada Soccer to reflect fundamental Canadian values.

We saw with Hockey Canada an inability or an unwillingness to answer key questions. I'm disturbed by the fact that Mr. Housefather's direct questions around salary and compensation have not been answered by our witnesses.

I find disturbing the allegations of six- or seven-figure incomes when you think that parents right across the country are paying into Canada Soccer programs and expect that Canada Soccer will be transparent in its finances and ensure that their kids are safe.

I want to go beyond the allegations around the salaries to allegations around gifts.

I want to ask you this, Mr. Bontis. What is the total value of the gifts that you've received from all sources in the past year?

[Dr. Nick Bontis]

I can tell you that the gifts that we give to our directors and have given to our directors for the past 11 years, since I started at Canada Soccer, amount to approximately $250 per year and consist of a Christmas gift, which is primarily from the sponsor. For example, we currently have Nike right now, so the gifts will be Nike polos, jackets or pants. That is the value of the gifts that we have on an annual basis, a gift at Christmastime.

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

Is that the value from all sources, including FIFA?

[Dr. Nick Bontis]

That's correct.

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

Can you confirm, as our witnesses did last week, that Canada Soccer paid over $11,000 for new suits for you and other board members?

[Dr. Nick Bontis]

I can confirm that a couple of years back, when I was elected president, I had been wearing a suit that was issued to me for 10 full years. The suit was in very bad shape. We travel a lot as directors. I think I wore it on average 30 times a year over 10 years. That's 300 times. It was shredded. It was in disrepair, so the idea was that we would get new suits.

The request was made to the office of the general secretary. The office of the general secretary then negotiated the suits, which were for all 14 directors of the board. They amounted to $791 each. The suits were custom suits with Canada Soccer branding, a jacket—

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

I'm going to cut you off there. I think we would agree that $11,000 is a lot more than $250.

Can you confirm, as well, that when you travel, you travel business class?

We've had testimony to the effect that our athletes, who do an extraordinary job, were in the back of the plane in regular class, while our administrators were travelling business class.

When you travel, do you travel business class?

[Dr. Nick Bontis]

Madam Chair, the president of Canada Soccer may choose to travel in business class if the flight is three hours or longer. In the nine years prior to my being president and the last couple of years, I flew economy class. When we made a bid for the FIFA World Cup in 2018 in Moscow, I flew economy class.

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

You confirm that you fly business class, and you are confirming that the players fly economy.

[Dr. Nick Bontis]

No, I—

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

I would like to go back to the testimony of Christine Sinclair on March 9, when she said that the women's national team, the year they won Olympic gold, found out that the men's national team players were earning more than five times what a women's national team player was earning.

Can you confirm that figure, that our women's national team, the year they won Olympic gold, were earning one-fifth of what the men's national team were earning?

[Dr. Nick Bontis]

Can I clarify, Madam Chair, with your permission, a remark that was made earlier that the women fly only in economy class? That is not true. Just in recent months, the women flew business class to competitions in Australia, and in November, to competitions in Brazil.

With regard to the compensation, I think it would be best for the CFO of Canada Soccer to answer that question. He would have that information more readily available than I would.

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

Mr. Heffernan, can you respond to that testimony that we've heard?

[Sean Heffernan]

Could you quickly repeat the numbers that you have?

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

The women's national team was earning one-fifth of what the men's national team players were earning in the year they won Olympic gold.