Junior ice hockey players have been the subject of sexual assault investigations by police fifteen times since 1989.[1] In 2022, Police were investigating three sexual assault allegations that happened in 2003 and the 2018 Hockey Canada controversy and sexual assault.[2]
In May 2022, it was reported that Hockey Canada—the governing body for the sport of ice hockey in Canada—had paid a settlement to a woman who alleged that she was the victim of a sexual assault perpetrated in 2018 by members of Canada's men's national junior team.
In June 2022, Minister for Sport Pascale St-Onge froze the federal government's funding of Hockey Canada, and called for an investigation into whether public funds were used to fund the settlement. The Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage also opened an inquiry into Hockey Canada's handling of the allegations, which revealed a history of sexual misconduct cases raised against the organization, and that the organization had spent C$7.6 million out of a "National Equity Fund"—funded partially via player registration fees—to help pay out settlements in 21 sexual misconduct cases since 1989.
In October 2022, The Globe and Mail reported that Hockey Canada had created a "Participants Legacy Trust Fund" in 1999 with money from the National Equity Fund, for distribution to its members for "matters including but not limited to sexual abuse". Hockey Canada has denied that the fund has been used, while Hockey Saskatchewan stated that it receives interest from the trust to cover operating costs. During continued hearings that month, interim Hockey Canada board chair Andrea Skinner stated that the settlement for the 2018 case was a means to resolve it in a "respectful" manner without a trial.[3]
In the immediate wake of the scandal, most of Hockey Canada's corporate sponsors suspended their relationship with the organization, and the 2022 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships in Edmonton was held without sponsors. Hockey Canada stated that it would no longer use its National Equity Fund to fund sexual misconduct settlements, and later announced a plan to address "systemic issues" in the culture of hockey. Further scrutiny emerged amid the October 2022 allegations, with Hockey Québec announcing that it will not send registration fees to Hockey Canada amid a lack of confidence for its proposed reforms, multiple sponsors continuing their suspension of sponsorship for its men's hockey programming, and retail chain Canadian Tire permanently ending their sponsorship of the organization.
The government spoke of resuming funding in April 2023, and Hockey Canada announced the "Beyond the Boards Summit" to make hockey a positive experience for participants, and changing hockey culture. In July 2023, Katherine Henderson was named the first female president in Hockey Canada's history, and Bauer Hockey subsequently reinstated its sponsorship.