Canadian Heritage Committee on April 27th, 2023

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

You did have them. There was an evaluation done.

[Steven Reed]

There would have been some projections that were done at the time.

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

Who would have that information? We've been asking now for a number of weeks.

[Steven Reed]

That information would be with the Canada Soccer staff.

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

Okay.

I wanted to take Christine Sinclair's testimony before this committee. She talked about the fact that information was not being provided to people. She stated on the record here that “Canada Soccer's approach has reflected a culture of secrecy and obstruction” around financial issues.

Do you understand why there is so much criticism of Canada Soccer, not only from the Canada's national women's team but from so many because of the lack of financial transparency?

[Steven Reed]

I believe that we're completely transparent in terms of our financial results. We publish our audited financial statements annually. They're online and available to anybody who wants to review them. I don't think there should be an issue about transparency. I think that we [Technical difficulty—Editor]

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

You're not giving us the figures for the evaluation. There are a lot of unanswered questions. That is very clear.

Madam Chair, I'll keep going if you like.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

I know very well that you will, Mr. Julian, if I allow you to.

I think that with this witness, we need to delve a little deeper into some of the questions that have been asked. I don't know that the committee feels they've received answers.

I'm going to go to the Conservatives and the Liberals, for three minutes instead of five each.

I will go with the Conservatives. I don't know who is going to be there. Is it Kevin?

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

It is, Madam Chair. Thank you very much.

Mr. Reed, your testimony is interesting today because, when you were president of Soccer Canada in 2017, Birarda was actually a head coach at the Canada Soccer under-17 national championship. He was the head coach of a Coastal under-17 team in October 2018.

You tell me you knew, maybe in 2008. You did nothing and then 10 years later, he surfaces at a national championship coaching an under-17 team.

In your opening statement, you said that “soccer is the safest sport in our country”. Here I've just found out that Birarda won a Canada Soccer under-17 national championship as head coach when you were the president of Soccer Canada. Could you comment on that? You surely must have known he was head coach for under-17s.

[Steven Reed]

Again, that's a club or district in the province of British Columbia. I was aware that he had joined that club, but I wasn't aware that he was involved at the national championship. Yes, it's untenable that he was able to get into a position where he was coaching at that level, or coaching at all at that time. That is something that I will apologize profusely for. If I could have done something, if I was able to do something, I would have at the time.

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

On Monday, we had Andrea Neil here, and Ciara McCormack. Both were very critical of Canada Soccer. In fact, McCormack said, “A Horrific Canadian Soccer Story—The Story No One Wants to Listen To, But Everyone Needs to Hear”.

Of course, off the field, Neil alleged she saw financial problems with Soccer Canada and the cover-up of sexual abuse.

Did you tune in on Monday when former soccer players like Andrea Neil and Ciara McCormack made those comments?

[Steven Reed]

Yes, I did.

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

What are your thoughts?

[Steven Reed]

Again, I completely support their position. We have tried to reach out and create a dialogue with the persons involved and tried to engage them in meaningful conversations about what kind of resolution we can have to it, and to take input and feedback as it relates to what we're trying to accomplish with our safe sport initiatives.

Yes, I would love to have had further conversations with them and an opportunity to do so. As we moved into 2020 and the COVID-19 pandemic...but I just want to reassure them that—

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

Please wrap up, Mr. Reed.

[Steven Reed]

It's very disturbing, with the egregious incidents that occurred.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

Thank you.

We'll now go to the Liberals. We have Anthony Housefather for three minutes.

Anthony.

[Anthony Housefather, Liberal, Mount Royal, QC]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Mr. Reed, if you had knowledge that somebody was a sexual predator and he moved in next door to your daughter, would you tell her?

[Steven Reed]

Yes.

[Anthony Housefather, Liberal, Mount Royal, QC]

Yes.

Here you acknowledge that you knew that Mr. Birarda had been accused of multiple claims of sexual abuse of players in 2008, and you had knowledge that he was coaching. You said before that you didn't know he was coaching anywhere, but you just acknowledged that you knew he was affiliated with Coastal U17, which actually means that what you said before isn't true. You said before you had no knowledge that he was coaching over that period when you were president of B.C. Soccer and president of Canada Soccer. Now you've said you did know.

Why did you not alert the players on the Coastal U17 team of the allegations, if you were aware that he was coaching?

[Steven Reed]

First of all, my initial comment was about his coaching under-14s. I wasn't aware that he was coaching within any system back at that time.

More recently, when it came to light that he was coaching with Coastal FC, I don't have a reason. I don't have an excuse for not alerting whatever the appropriate body was.

[Anthony Housefather, Liberal, Mount Royal, QC]

You do acknowledge that, had you taken action in 2008 when you had ample opportunity to take action to alert the network in British Columbia, at least, not to hire Mr. Birarda as a coach, many women would not have been assaulted over the next 10 years.

You do acknowledge that—that it is your fault. Is that right?

[Steven Reed]

I don't know all of the allegations that were made subsequent to 2008—

[Anthony Housefather, Liberal, Mount Royal, QC]

You don't know all the allegations. Did you know that the allegations were of a sexual nature?

[Steven Reed]

Do you mean prior to 2008?