Hockey Canada funding restored by federal government: A look back at the scandal-plagued saga

The federal government has restored funding to Hockey Canada, roughly 10 months after support was frozen in response to sexual assault allegations involving Canada’s national teams.

Canada’s federal minister of sport, Pascale St-Onge, confirmed the announcement Sunday ahead of the women’s world hockey championship gold-medal game between Canada and the U.S.

“When we suspended the funding for Hockey Canada, it was never a matter of doing it forever. It was so that the proper change was implemented in the organization,” St-Onge told reporters at the CAA Centre in Brampton.

“I set three conditions for them, they’ve met those three conditions and now we’re reinstating that funding,” she said, adding the restored support is not a blank cheque.

In a statement, Hockey Canada chair Hugh L. Fraser thanked the government “for their vote of confidence” and stressed that the organization still has work to do to change the culture of hockey.

“Today marks an important milestone for Hockey Canada in our journey to earn and maintain the trust of Canadians,” Fraser said in the statement Sunday.

With funding restored, here’s a look back at the key details of Hockey Canada’s scandal-plagued saga, including why federal funding was initially pulled, details of the sexual assault allegations and what has changed at the sports organization.

Why was Hockey Canada’s funding frozen by the government?

The federal government froze millions of dollars of funding to Hockey Canada on June 22, 2022 following reports of systemic failures at the organization and multiple allegations of sexual assault spanning decades.

Last May, TSN reported that a woman was allegedly sexually assaulted by eight hockey players, including members of Canada’s 2018 world junior men’s team, following a foundation gala in London, Ont. in June 2018. Hockey Canada and the woman quietly settled a $3.55-million lawsuit out of court.

Two months later, in July 2022, Hockey Canada revealed that members of Canada’s 2003 world junior team were also under investigation after allegations of group sexual assault.

The national sports body also faced scrutiny after it was reported that the organization’s National Equity Fund — maintained by players’ fees — had allegedly been used to settle sexual abuse claims.

What’s the status of the investigations into Hockey Canada and the alleged sexual assaults?

There are multiple investigations concerning the Hockey Canada scandal. Some relate to Hockey Canada’s governance structure, while others are focused on the criminal sexual assault allegations.

As of February 2023, investigations into the 2003 and 2018 allegations were ongoing and neither case has been proven in court.

In October, former Supreme Court Justice Thomas Cromwell released a 221-page governance review that called for more oversight and accountability within the organization, which the retired judge described as “at a crossroads.”

“Confidence takes time to build, but can be quickly lost,” Cromwell wrote in his introduction. “Hockey Canada’s recent experience is testament to that.”

When the report was released, St-Onge said the report demonstrates that Hockey Canada had not been transparent “for years.”

“This shows serious governance failures that have been fostering a culture of silence. They treated the allegation of sexual violence as an insurance issue,” she said in a statement at the time.

What has changed at Hockey Canada?

The suspension of federal funding last June led to a significant reckoning and internal shakeup within the organization.

Facing weeks of blistering criticism from the public and government officials, the national sporting body’s board of directors and CEO Scott Smith resigned in October.

A new board, chaired by retired judge Hugh L. Fraser and which includes former women’s national team captain Cassie Campbell-Pascall, was elected in December.

“We understand the disappointment and the loss of confidence,” Fraser said in a phone interview with The Canadian Press at the time. “There is a lot of work to be done in rebuilding Hockey Canada. Our focus is on making the sport safer and more inclusive and rebuilding that trust.”

What were the government’s three conditions to restore funding?

The conditions outlined by St-Onge were:

How much funding does Hockey Canada receive from the government?

Hockey Canada received $7.7 million of federal support from Sports Canada in 2022. That represents roughly 6.6 per cent of the organization’s total funding.

The organization also receives money from business development and partnerships (43 per cent), funding agencies (14 per cent), insurance premiums (13 per cent) and interest revenue (10 per cent).

Though federal funding represents a fraction of Hockey Canada’s revenue, the sports body also lost significant corporate sponsors during the scandal, including Nike, Canadian Tire and Scotiabank.

What comes next for Hockey Canada?

St-Onge said the government asked Hockey Canada to “consistently” report back to Sport Canada.

“We want to make sure that they keep on going in the right direction and implementing all recommendations from all two reports that were produced in the past few months, and we want to make sure that their action plan is actually moving forward,” she said.

Hockey Canada has yet to find a new CEO since Smith, who last held the position, was ousted following the scandal. The body will also elect a new board in November, as per Cromwell’s report, which recommended the current board serve only a one-year term focused on improving organizational governance and safety.

The organization was in the spotlight this month because of the women’s world hockey championship. Canada’s men’s national team will take to the ice in May for the world championship in Finland.

Hockey Canada confirmed that players from the 2018 world junior team will not be considered for international competition until the sexual assault investigation is complete.

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