Good morning.
My name is Mélanie Lemay. I'm a Ph.D. student in sociology and co-founder of Québec contre les violences sexuelles.
When it comes to hockey and football, for much of my youth and professional life, I have witnessed the consequences of toxic culture in sport. Over the years, a number of men have confided to me that they were traumatized by what was done to them when they were young during hazing activities, and by what they had to do to others for fear of what would happen to them if they refused.
I'm going to describe indoctrination that starts very early on. Young people age 10 to 12 had hardcore pornography and group masturbation sessions organized for them. In the classroom, certain players were challenged to snap little girls' bra straps, rub up against them or slap their behinds, in addition to masturbating under their desks or on the bus. I heard about acts of bestiality involving a 14‑year-old boy at the time. Then there's the “toast ritual” of eating grapes or olives that have been inside another player's anus. I've also heard of a case where someone had to choose between penetrating a sexually diverse individual who had been invited for the occasion or being sodomized by a broomstick.
After off-season tournament victories, the excesses were commonplace and conducive to all kinds of violence: fights, alcohol and drug abuse, assault and gang rape, all in the name of the “boys will be boys” principle or because excellence in sport justified it. I also learned that some teams kept Excel files recording young people's sexual prowess with their conquests, shared videos their conquests didn't know about, or exchanged intimate photos they received, just like they were hockey cards.
I don't need to say how much psychological distress the girls they targeted experienced, especially since their peers considered them responsible for the violence they faced, particularly because of the systemic sexism environment in which we were all immersed. Plus, because of the inequities that still remain between men's and women's sports, student athletes have been convinced not to file a complaint so as not to reflect badly on star players or the sport programs that put the institution on the map. Funding, reach and a sense of belonging were at stake for administrators, far ahead of young people's safety and integrity.
A number of young people have also told me how hard it was for them to assume their own sexual identity or to confront their teammates who were causing problems, due to the strict pecking order in the locker room and the bro code. That brotherhood is impenetrable because, at the end of the day, it's bros before hos. Even coaches have little control over this, and some of them encourage this kind of code because they are convinced it builds team spirit.
While it's a hard truth to hear, this violence occurs daily on sports teams, in our schools, in our extracurricular activities, in leagues and, ultimately, wherever sports are played. Before they become athletes, these young people go to school, and the absence of limits and frameworks fosters an environment where impunity prevails.
Based on the information gathered for the investigation report on École Saint-Laurent, we have no official mechanisms for sharing information among sports federations, educational institutions, the government and complaint handling mechanisms. As a result, complaints can be filed with any of those bodies, including the I File a Complaint platform on the Sport'Aide website, without informing the other parties involved. Therefore, multiple reports of unacceptable behaviour by a coach or athlete can be made without them ever having to undergo a thorough or special investigation.
Fortunately, we do have solutions. Now more than ever, child grooming must be officially recognized as a criminal act, and the same is true for psychological and online violence. Athlete status must be formally recognized as a form of moral authority, and coaches must be held accountable for their actions. They must be in a registry, both domestically and internationally. We urgently need to redefine the very meaning of athletic excellence, its values and, above all, how we keep athletes safe.
Furthermore, the law is not designed to prevent injustice. It's only there once we've failed as a society to protect our most marginalized individuals and the crime has already been committed. That's why it's on all of us to stop the violence from happening. A new branch of law focused on gender-based violence must emerge and integrate clear protocols, along with resources adapted to the daily lives of young people to hear what they reveal and to support them, as well as complaint mechanisms that meet victims' needs.
Any amendments to the Canada Health Act, the Physical Activity and Sport Act or any other federal legislation must create safe, integrated, specialized and culturally aware spaces. They must also pull together the various assistance services, while bringing together the various perspectives and therapeutic approaches that victims need to truly be at the centre of the process. We need to create a service corridor.
In addition, the provinces absolutely must pass legislation to protect young people in schools, as recommended by La voix des jeunes compte, a group of young people who have been fighting sexual violence for over four years now.
In short, with support from documentary filmmakers at Les Studios Seaborn, who helped me make the documentary Pour une culture du consentement dans le hockey et dans le sport en général, the strategy is to learn from our mistakes and improve our game for the next match. All we need to do is apply that to our laws and to life in general. It's time for our sports to become a reflection of our national pride again.
