Canadian Heritage Committee on March 30th, 2023

[Dr. Nick Bontis]

That's a great question.

Madam Chair, the fundamental difference between the women's national team and the men's national team, upon my arrival as president, was that the women's team had a collective bargaining agreement already in place—they're currently in the process of renewing the collective bargaining agreement—whereas the men did not. They negotiated based on camps.

To promise pay equity now complicates the negotiation, because all three parties—the men's team, the women's team and Canada Soccer—have to come together for an agreement.

It was only upon further communication with the men that I found out that they'd created a players' association and legal representation only on Labour Day of 2022. That's when I found out.

The truth of the matter is that the women had a collective bargaining agreement and were registered as a players' association through the Province of Ontario. The men had not been, and only in September did they do that, which then allowed us, as Canada Soccer, to be able to negotiate.

In good spirit, all three parties—the men's team, the women's team and Canada Soccer—have continued communications since September.

Last month I left, but my understanding is that those communications continue, as is obvious from Sean's testimony.

[Richard Martel, Conservative, Chicoutimi—Le Fjord, QC]

The women's team was nonetheless convinced that there was no pay equity and they did not have the same benefits as the men's team. That's what you said.

[Dr. Nick Bontis]

Thank you for the question, Madam Chair.

I can assure you that the proposal that Canada Soccer presented to both teams guaranteeing equal pay is detailed. It's publicly available and it has been reported by the media. The World Cup prize money, as well, will be shared. It's not by percentage, just to clarify. It's dollar for dollar, making both the men's and the women's teams among the highest-paid national teams in the world.

If you take the fact that the men's team has already competed in Qatar and the women have not yet competed in Australia—and of course I want the women to go as far as possible—but assuming the women play only those three games in Australia—

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

Please wrap it up, Mr. Bontis.

[Dr. Nick Bontis]

—each of the players would be receive an estimated $135,000 as part of that compensation, just for the World Cup prize money.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

Thank you.

I now go to the Liberals.

Who will take this?

[Anthony Housefather, Liberal, Mount Royal, QC]

I will, Madam Chair. Thank you.

I want to just come back briefly to the Bob Birarda case, because I think it's important for Canadians who are watching to understand what happened.

Bob Birarda was the U-20 national women's coach until 2008, and in November 2022 he was sent to prison for the sexual assault of underage players.

In 2008 Canada Soccer basically spun it as a mutual decision to part ways when it was announced that he was departing as the U-20 national coach. They explained that the move had to do with Birarda wanting time to attend to his own health and family, and they wished him well in the future.

The independent McLaren report, published in July 2022, states that the communication “that characterized Birarda's departure as being in the mutual interest of both parties without so much as addressing the harassment was a gross mischaracterisation of the circumstances and failed the victims of the harassment, their teammates, and the organisation as a whole.”

There was a robust harassment policy on the books of Canada Soccer when complaints were raised, but the executive failed to follow it at several levels, which are damningly delineated in the McLaren report.

McLaren also found that there was only a small cadre of individuals at Canada Soccer who even knew about the complaints. Other executives on the board were kept in the dark. No trace of the case exists in any minutes. A staff member interviewed as part of the McLaren investigation said, “This is what troubles me...that there are no paper trails.” They also said, “Everything was held behind closed doors and there is no record of what was done.”

In 2021 FIFA became interested in the handling of the sexual misconduct complaint, and Canada Soccer carefully altered the story, claiming the entire board was involved in the swift termination of Birarda, and that obviously wasn't the case.

Mr. Montagliani, when you were asked by the ethics committee at FIFA about this mischaracterizing message, you said that you had nothing to do with it, or you couldn't remember being a part of it.

Is that true?

[Vittorio Montagliani]

Madam Chair, I was never asked anything by the FIFA ethics committee. The FIFA ethics committee made a clear statement that its investigation had to do with the individuals—Mr. Birarda specifically—involved, so I was never asked anything by the FIFA ethics committee.

[Anthony Housefather, Liberal, Mount Royal, QC]

You were never asked anything. That's interesting. Okay.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

Thank you. The time is up, Anthony. I'm sorry.

Now I am going to go Mr. Lemire for two minutes.

Go ahead, please, Sébastien.

[Martin Champoux, Bloc, Drummond, QC]

Madam Chair, I will be using the two minutes.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

Go ahead.

[Martin Champoux, Bloc, Drummond, QC]

I am going to use this speaking time to change the subject, but not because I wanted to give the guests a break today.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

Oh, is that Mr. Champoux?

[Martin Champoux, Bloc, Drummond, QC]

Yes, it's me.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

Oh, welcome. Welcome, Martin.

Please begin.

[Martin Champoux, Bloc, Drummond, QC]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

I'm going to change the subject for two minutes.

As I said, it's certainly not to give our guests a break, given that they have a lot of information to disclose.

I want to introduce a notice of motion relating to freedom of expression.

For some time, we have increasingly been seeing the weakening of the culture and how it is often the first victim of freedom of expression. Whether it's on social media, in the media generally, or in civil society, people are increasingly afraid to express themselves freely, for fear of being cancelled. I think this is a very troubling.

I want to take this time to point out that books have been burned in the schools, that a cultural treasure like Michelangelo's David has been censored in Florida, among other things. This is a trend that is undeniably moving north. Recently, a reading of Michèle Lalonde's poem Speak White was even forbidden in a classroom in Trois-Rivières, because it contained the N-word in an artistic context.

The motion proposes that, pursuant to Standing Order 108(2), the committee undertake a study of six meetings regarding the protection of freedom of expression and the means the government should have at its disposal to ensure its exercise.

I hope that we will be able to debate this motion at an upcoming meeting of the committee.

Thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

[Technical difficulty—Editor] to discuss, can you be clear on the matter and the motion, Martin?

It's a study of six meetings to...?

[Martin Champoux, Bloc, Drummond, QC]

It would be a study of six meetings regarding the protection of freedom of expression and the means the government should have at its disposal to ensure its exercise.

I am introducing the notice of motion so that we can debate the motion at an upcoming meeting of the committee.

I think my colleague has some speaking time left.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

Thank you.

There is now a motion on the floor.

[Martin Champoux, Bloc, Drummond, QC]

It's a notice of motion, Madam Chair.

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

It's a notice of motion.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

Okay, so you don't wish to discuss it right now.

[Martin Champoux, Bloc, Drummond, QC]

Thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

All right. Thank you.

I will now go to Mr. Julian.

Peter, you have two minutes.