Evidence of meeting #77 for Canadian Heritage in the 44th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was board.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Former President, Canada Soccer, As an Individual
Yes. We didn't have any mechanism for tracking coaches in the country, so as a representative of BC Soccer, I would not have been aware of his being hired or appointed by any one of the clubs or districts. We did not have the ability to do that at that time.
Now, during the last—
NDP
Peter Julian NDP New Westminster—Burnaby, BC
Can I ask you, Mr. Reed, did you have access to a phone? Did you have access to the mail? Did you have access to simply notify outside, right across the country, that there were serious allegations of sexual abuse brought against this person and that this person should not be given any access to any potential victim on any team anywhere in the country?
Former President, Canada Soccer, As an Individual
I did not believe that I had the authority to do that. I am not sure what the conditions were that were entered into between Canada Soccer and the individual, and it wouldn't have been something that....
As an individual, would I pursue something like that because of the appalling abuse? Yes, but the point is that I didn't have the authority as the president of BC Soccer to go out and alert the community.
NDP
Peter Julian NDP New Westminster—Burnaby, BC
I would disagree, Mr. Reed. You had a responsibility to ensure that there were no further victims. It appears that the entire Canada Soccer mechanism failed in that regard. I am, quite frankly, stunned by what you are telling us today.
Former President, Canada Soccer, As an Individual
I would agree with you. I would agree with you that, at the time, the mechanisms were not in place. That's why we undertook, over the last three to four years, to change the landscape. That was part of the whole safe sport roster that was implemented and approved at our AGM in 2019, which deals with club licensing, the code of conduct and ethics, and our whistle-blower policy and hotline, so all of these—
NDP
Peter Julian NDP New Westminster—Burnaby, BC
Mr. Reed, let's come to the whistle-blower hotline.
How was it evaluated? It was virtually impossible, anecdotally, as you may be aware.... It was very difficult for victims to access the line and file complaints. They, of course, lost confidence in the system. How did you evaluate the whistle-blower hotline while you were president to ensure that it was working to ensure safety for the victims and to ensure that they had a place to go to report abuses and allegations of abuses?
This is exceedingly serious. I think we understand each other that these issues of sexual assault and sexual abuse are serious, and it appears that Canada Soccer and BC Soccer failed the victims lamentably.
How did you evaluate the whistle-blower hotline?
Former President, Canada Soccer, As an Individual
It was monitored by an independent body. They received the calls, reviewed the incidents, made assessments of the incidents and then reported back to a risk management committee for Canada Soccer any issues that were necessary to be reviewed by the governing body.
NDP
Peter Julian NDP New Westminster—Burnaby, BC
How often did they report?
Because the system didn't work—we've heard this from victims themselves—how did you respond? How did the organization respond to make the system functional so that victims had recourse?
Former President, Canada Soccer, As an Individual
The whistle-blower policy and hotline were implemented in about 2019, and I guess there was an ongoing review of the effectiveness and the efficacy of the policy and hotline itself to make improvements. I can't comment on what's happened since, but definitely it was something that was reviewed and reported on by the risk management committee on an ongoing basis.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Hedy Fry
Thank you. That's it.
We'll now move into the second round. The second round is a five-minute round.
We will begin with the Conservatives for five minutes, please.
Conservative
Rachael Thomas Conservative Lethbridge, AB
Thank you.
Mr. Reed, in 2008 were you president of BC Soccer?
Conservative
Former President, Canada Soccer, As an Individual
Yes, I did.
Conservative
Rachael Thomas Conservative Lethbridge, AB
In 2008, did it come to your attention that Mr. Birarda was accused of sexually assaulting players and was therefore let go from Canada Soccer?
Former President, Canada Soccer, As an Individual
Yes. The executive board reported to the broader group of board members, who were the provincial and territorial presidents, that he would be terminated. We did not have all the details as to all of the allegations at that time.
Conservative
Rachael Thomas Conservative Lethbridge, AB
What details did you have access to? Did you know that there had been allegations brought against him?
Conservative
Rachael Thomas Conservative Lethbridge, AB
Okay.
You were president of BC Soccer, you were on the Canada Soccer board and you were aware that Mr. Birarda was accused of sexually assaulting players. You knew that he was released from Canada Soccer based on these allegations, yet, in your role as president of BC Soccer, you did not think it was incumbent upon you to make sure the league understood that there were these allegations brought against him and that perhaps there should be a yellow flag placed by his name, if not a red flag, when it came to hiring coaches within the region.
Former President, Canada Soccer, As an Individual
Could you repeat the question, please?