Niki Ashton

[Committees of the House, October 24th, 2024]

Madam Speaker, I appreciate my colleague's comments and certainly our shared connection around the Athens Olympics. It was a critical moment on my end with respect to seeing upfront what the Olympics can mean, and as a volunteer promoter for the years prior to the Olympics, the extent to which the Olympics is not just about athleticism, but about humanity. That is why it is so important that we get the job done with respect to cleaning house and restoring ethics and integrity in sport as critical values in our work here in Canada.

While I appreciate that certain investments have been made by the Liberals, particularly around mental health, which is important, I wonder why it is that they are voting against looking into the problems that happened at the Paris Olympics around the soccer drone scandal that contributed to ill mental health. We know that it had an impact on our athletes. Let us prevent this kind of culture that puts the mental health of our athletes at risk, and that is—

[Committees of the House, October 24th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to get back on track.

I am deeply disappointed by the Liberals' cheap shots. Nothing covers for the fact that the Liberals are not doing what is needed to ensure safe sport in our country. We are seeing half measures from them and a lot of PR stunts, which I will get to it in a couple of minutes, but it is the same Liberals who just a couple of days ago blocked a motion that I put forward in committee to seek accountability on the soccer drone scandal that rocked our reputation in soccer and sport on the world stage during the Olympics. The Liberals are doing what they can to cover up what happened there, perhaps not unlike what we are seeing in the House today.

I will get back to the heartbreaking story of victims of sexual violence who were targeted by hockey players and the incidents of sexual violence and sexual assault that were known and covered up by Hockey Canada.

Following the explosive allegations that came up and knowing the extent to which Hockey Canada knew and covered up the abuse, it is hard to see how Hockey Canada can come back from it, even with the changes it has made in response, including revising its player code of conduct, introducing mandatory training on alcohol abuse and sexual assault, and better managing Hockey Canada events.

The former board chair maintained, “Hockey Canada took appropriate action by reporting this incident to the police, Sport Canada and launching an independent investigation.” Was that appropriate action? Nothing about this was appropriately handled. As shocking and horrific as this case was, we cannot turn away from it. There is a problem within sports in our country, and this report makes that clear.

Kristen Worley, a former high-performance athlete, described her experience of undergoing gender testing, saying, “I would be violated as a predetermination of my participation in cycling.” Throughout her career, her experience was “about abuse, trauma, maltreatment, collusion, the use of wilful blindness, the lack of state responsibility, gross liability, brand protection and foreign interference”. This is damning testimony.

Even the former minister of science and sport, the member for Etobicoke North, appeared at committee to describe her experience, saying:

I also know the darker side of sport. While I have not experienced the horrific abuse that you have heard about at this committee, I am a former gymnast and I know what it's like to be told to eat Jell-o, laxatives, toilet paper and water pills, and what it's like to be weighed and shamed.

Former athletes have described how broken they were upon leaving sports before they even hit 18. We heard from a number of witnesses describing the trauma and pain they carry to this day following their experiences in organized sport. One witness, a fencer named Emily Mason, said:

When I left the sport, I was 17 and I was a broken individual. I was in a mental health crisis. I attempted suicide. I was seeing a mental health professional. The difficulty my family has gone through in the years since I left the sport has been immense. It's been five years now, and it will be a part of our lives for years to come.

This is an endemic problem. As the report notes, as many as 70% of participants in sports will fall victim to at least one form of abuse during their sporting journey. The last record for the number of sport participants in Canada dates from 2016 and stood at eight million people. At 70%, that means 5.6 million people are harmed.

Another witness talked about how uncaring the junior hockey system can be. One of the witnesses shared:

I ended up with a puck to the face. When it happened, I also drove myself to the hospital. I got evaluated and I was told that I had a double jaw fracture. I drove to the pharmacy to get medicine, and I had to head home for recovery.

When I came back from my injury, I learned that the team, which was supposed to have warned my teachers about my incapacity to attend my classes.... Actually, I learned that I had failed all my exams, so I ended up quitting school. The emotional turmoil and the anger I felt coming back had me quit the team I was playing for.

Another parent described their kid's experience as a “dream that turned into a nightmare”.

That is not what sport is supposed to be in our country. We know that sport has the potential to transform lives. It can be key in terms of building not just athletic prowess and better physical form, but also a sense of self-confidence, self-worth and belonging.

Since ancient times, we know the power of gathering to compete in sport, as through the Olympics. Owing to my Greek heritage, I am familiar with the proud history of the Olympic Games as a special time where that part of the world came together to engage in sport as a high form of living and, certainly, as a way of people reaching their full potential.

I will say that Canada talks a good talk when it comes to its commitment to sporting ideals. We heard it from Liberals in the House today, commitments to integrity, commitments to safe sport, commitments to accountability. However, the reality is that Canada has failed many of our young athletes and their families and has failed the advancement of sport in so many ways.

I want to turn to a more recent scandal and again point to the failures of Canada when it comes to ensuring that ethics in sport, integrity in sport, is held to the highest standard. This summer, we all tuned in to watch the Olympics with great pride. We saw major successes from Canadian athletes, but we also saw a major failure. That was the soccer drone scandal that in many ways engulfed a big chunk of our time at the Olympics. We have one of the best women's soccer teams in the world, former gold medal winners, who are incredible players. I want to acknowledge the great Christine Sinclair, who did not play this summer but was critical in supporting and building the sport of soccer for women in our country.

However, we were all shaken when we found out that officials of Soccer Canada, officials of the Canadian women's team, engaged in flying a drone and engaged in spying, which was clearly known to be illegal, during the Olympic Games. It did not just make the news in Canada; it made the news around the world. It was so bad that FIFA launched an investigation, docked points from Canada and fined Soccer Canada. It was so bad that teams from around the world reached out, asking about what Canada was doing.

What was so problematic, in addition to the act of spying, was the arrogance with which Canadian officials responded, the pretense, making comments along the lines that everybody does it. We heard from teams that came out publicly to say no, that they do not engage in flying drones to spy on other teams, on their practices and as they prepare for games. Yet, Canada was out there flouting the most fundamental tenets of ethics in sport, of integrity in sport, of fair play in sport.

I admire our women's soccer players who gave the game their all, who gave it their all as a result of their years of hard work and the support of their families, of their coaches growing up and of their communities. They put it all on the line. However, shame on those Canadian officials. Shame on those within Soccer Canada who thought it was not just acceptable but legitimate in a way, as they went on to defend, to engage in that kind of culture, to engage in spying and to engage in the use of drones to spy on other teams.

I think we all recognized that this was needed work when Soccer Canada said that it would engage in an independent investigation, but that was months ago and we have not heard anything. That is why I put forward a motion to seek accountability on the parliamentary side. This motion finally came to a vote this week and I was shocked that the Liberals, along with the Bloc, blocked our initiative to have public testimony on the soccer drone scandal. Canadian athletes, families and fans deserve answers. They deserve to know that this mess is going to be cleaned up and that we will put an end to the culture of spying and cheating that was clearly encouraged in the lead-up to and during the Olympics.

What do the Liberals have to hide when it comes to Soccer Canada? What is it that they have to hide when it comes to truly getting to the bottom of integrity, ethics and fair play in sport? Canadian athletes and all Canadians deserve better.

[Committees of the House, October 24th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, it is telling when we do not even have the attention of the Liberal members, not just on the—

[Committees of the House, October 24th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to rise on such an important initiative, which came directly from parliamentarians, from MPs, and speaks directly to some of the most horrific experiences of our youngest citizens who are engaged in sport, something that we as Canadians believe is important. I want to acknowledge the tireless work of so many and the strength of so many survivors who came forward to take part in the safe sports study. I want to acknowledge the tireless work of many advocates, those in research and academia and those who have been involved in sport, who want to support the survivors coming forward and work, very much, toward effecting long-lasting, systemic change when it comes to sport in our country.

I want to acknowledge the work of my own colleague who was the lead on this committee from the NDP. My colleague, the MP for New Westminster—Burnaby, along with others, put in many hours to make sure that this report was of the highest quality and that critical recommendations were made on how we need to go forward. I believe that, first and foremost, the importance of a national public inquiry is critical.

We in the NDP are clear. There must be a national public inquiry into safe sport. We have heard that from survivors, advocates, and those in academia. We have heard it from people who want change. It is deeply disappointing to see that the Liberals, despite their commitments to integrity and fair play, do not actually support a public inquiry into safe sport. Before I go any further, I would like to reflect on some of what we heard from the report.

On May 26, 2022, a story was published by Rick Westhead regarding an out-of-court settlement made by Hockey Canada to women who had been sexually assaulted by a group of hockey players on the 2017-18 national junior team in London, Ontario, after a gala. Five players, Dillon Dube, Carter Hart, Michael McLeod, Cal Foote and Alex Formenton, are now facing jail time.

One hundred and four witnesses spoke to the committee, but it was that story, that bomb that went off, that really underscored not just the horrors within our sport system, the level of abuse and, in this case, sexual violence or sexual assault oftentimes targeted at women, but also the way in which our sport system, sport organizations and sport officials turned a blind eye while fully knowing that this kind of abuse and horror had taken place under their watch.

This is not what sport should be about. Canadians rightfully love sports. In the case of hockey, which is oftentimes referred to as our national sport, even though, of course, lacrosse is our national sport, the fact is that hockey was tarnished by these stories of abuse that came forward. The way that Hockey Canada dealt with this abuse was shocking to so many Canadians

We have all grown up with hockey as part of our lives. Here in northern Canada, it has been a key part of the lives of many boys, girls, young men and young women. It is part of our fond memories as we grew up, such as the more recent one of Sid calling out for Iggy to score the Olympic winning goal, or sitting with friends, and maybe family, on a Saturday night to cheer on Canada's team. However, it is clear that the culture that surrounds hockey needs fixing. For too long, we have put young boys on a pedestal, especially within junior hockey, expecting boys to act like men without giving them the supports necessary to be their best selves.

It should be clear to anyone who has been reading the sports sections of the newspapers over the last couple of years that harassment and abuse are sadly endemic to high-level sports in this country. We would be remiss to ignore the all-too-common pressures that athletes face to play or practise with some pretty serious injuries. It is only in the last couple of years that sports have even begun to take seriously things like brain injuries, especially when dealing with minors. There is no question that this needs to change.

Hockey culture in particular admires Patrice Bergeron for suiting up in game six of a playoff game with a small puncture in his lung, a cracked rib, torn rib cartilage and a separated shoulder. The careers of Carey Price, Shea Weber and Paul Byron ultimately ended after the injuries they faced in the Habs' run to the Stanley Cup that ultimately came up short in 2021. We admire their courage and tolerance for pain but ignore the lifelong cost.

Shea Weber recently opened up about his post-career quality of life. After a charity softball tournament, he could not walk for two weeks. Carey Price, an inspiration for so many, even in my riding, talked about how his forced retirement contributed to descending deeper into a drinking problem that he has since gotten help for. Athletes sacrifice their bodies, but in many cases, we are talking about kids. It is often too big a sacrifice they do not fully understand, and they are surrounded by adults who do not take their long-term health seriously, which needs changing.

Even since the completion of this study, we are reminded of a culture that needs fixing. Just recently, Rick Westhead, who along with Katie Strang led a lot of the reporting that forced Canadians to start being honest about a broken culture that needs fixing, wrote about an incident, this one in 2014, where a woman was allegedly sexually assaulted by eight OHL players. She decided to come forward after watching a press conference where the London chief of police apologized for not appropriately dealing with the sexual assault by team Canada players.

She had been invited to watch TV with a 19-year-old player. When she arrived, there were eight players in the basement, aged 16 to 19. Here are her words:

I was taken into a bathroom. And that's when the player who invited me over began...starting sexual acts. They never closed the bathroom door fully.... And then next thing I know more players start coming in. There's players standing and watching. They start taking their turns, doing whatever it is they want. I never told anyone because I thought it was my fault. I thought I was the one that was responsible because I had made the choice to go hang out with this guy and a buddy.... I did what I could to just forget it, not think about it, wipe it away. But it just built up inside in the back of my brain....

When she went to the police in London to report the incident earlier this year, she was told they could not help her. Hockey Canada responded to this reporting by saying that it was out of Hockey Canada's hands and to use the appropriate CHL league. The cycle of violence, followed by disappointment over the lack of consequences, continues. We have work to do in this country, and the Liberals are not getting the work done.

When representatives of Hockey Canada came to the heritage committee, they attempted to show that sexual assault was taken seriously. Do not forget that this is the same Hockey Canada that, after covering up the sexual assault that took place in 2018, welcomed Carter Hart onto team Canada at the World Juniors and the IIHF World Championships a year later. This is the same Hockey Canada that claimed that its attempted cover-up of sexual assault was done because it respected victims, saying that it had a “moral obligation to respond to the alleged behaviour that occurred at one of our events by players who attended at our invitation.” Hockey Canada wished to respect the alleged victim's privacy and avoid requiring her to participate “in a prolonged court proceeding”, and said it was “inappropriate to victimize the young woman in court.” Apparently, the board's instinct was “one of compassion for the young woman”.

These statements rocked the world of minor hockey and junior hockey. It was felt in communities like—

[Committees of the House, October 24th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, obviously much of this morning's discussion has been focused on the need for ethics and fair play in sport, an end to a culture of lack of accountability and the full range of cases where the well-being of athletes was ignored time and time again by sports organizations and the federal government.

This week in the heritage committee, I put forward a motion to seek public accountability for the soccer drone scandal that threw our women soccer players under the bus and deeply affected Canada's reputation when it comes to soccer and sport on the world stage. I would like to ask my colleague why he and his colleagues supported this motion and about how troubling it is that the Liberals, along with the Bloc, are seeking to cover up a scandal that rocked our country on the world stage.

[Committees of the House, October 24th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, the parliamentary secretary speaks of the Liberal government's commitment to integrity in sport. We can all say that integrity is critical to sport, yet this week the Liberals voted against my motion to have public testimony on their soccer drone scandal that took place at the Paris Olympics this summer, a scandal that did a disservice to our women soccer players and a scandal that tarnished Canada's reputation when it comes to soccer and sport on the world stage.

What are the Liberals hiding? Why did the Liberals vote against public accountability? Why did they vote against, to use the parliamentary secretary's own phrase, bringing sunlight to a scandal that has rocked our soccer and sport world? Our athletes deserve better.

Why did the Liberals vote against my motion?

[Committees of the House, October 24th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his hard work on this very important issue. The NDP supports the idea of an independent public inquiry.

I know that the member is very passionate about the issue of ethics in sport. Why did his Bloc Québécois colleague vote with the Liberals this week to block a study on the soccer drone scandal that hurt our athletes and our international reputation in soccer?

Why did the Bloc Québécois support the Liberals to cover up what is happening at Soccer Canada and to prevent us from stamping out a culture of spying that goes against the ethics on which sport in our country should be based?

[Sport, October 22nd, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Bloc and the Liberals joined together in committee to cover up the soccer drone scandal that took place during the Olympics. The Liberals refused to investigate how this happened, and they are happy to ignore the problem; that is apparently good enough for the Bloc, which shamefully joined them. Canadians deserve better. They deserve to know that this will not happen again.

Why will the government not support accountability? Why will they not listen to the players, the soccer community and fans who want to ensure that the focus is on the tremendous effort on the pitch and not on the actions of a few people and institutions that do not get it that soccer, like any sport, should be about fair play and integrity?

[Privilege, October 10th, 2024]

Madam Speaker, the member talked about workers in his part of the country facing difficult times. It takes me back to a few years ago when my home community was going through difficult times as a result of the agreement that the Harper government approved, which allowed Vale, a multinational, to buy out Inco. It went on to slash all of the value-added jobs at the mine site in my hometown of Thompson. Unfortunately, all we had was platitudes from the Stephen Harper government and no real action to back up resource workers and ensure value-added capacity in my hometown.

I would like to hear the member's thoughts on why the Conservative government did not stand up for workers at that time. Is the concern for resource workers in northern provinces just reserved for the Liberals? Let us not forget our history, including the history of my hometown of Thompson.

[Indigenous Affairs, October 10th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, this week Canada's lawyers argued in federal court that first nations leaders are showing a lack of “maturity” in their fight for clean drinking water. That language is unbelievable: a lack of maturity. It is deeply offensive, paternalistic and discriminatory. Let us be clear and say that the lack of clean drinking water on reserve did not just happen. It is the result of decades of neglect from Conservatives and Liberals toward first nations.

Will the Prime Minister apologize on behalf of his lawyers for that deeply offensive language? Will he call off his lawyers, stop fighting Shamattawa and Tataskweyak and deliver clean water now?