Hockey Canada's federal funding restored
The Canadian federal government announced Sunday it'll reinstate Hockey Canada's funding, effective immediately.
Canadian sport minister Pascale St-Onge made the announcement ahead of the gold-medal game between Canada and the United States at the IIHF Women's World Championship in Brampton, Ontario.
St-Onge said Hockey Canada met three conditions to have its funding fully restored: become a full signatory to Abuse-Free Sport and the Office of the Sport Integrity Commissioner, continue to review and implement the recommendations from the independent governance review led by The Honorable Thomas Cromwell, and commit to more frequent reporting to the Government of Canada.
The Canadian government froze Hockey Canada's funding in June 2022, two months after a woman alleged in a lawsuit that eight CHL players sexually assaulted her. The alleged incident included several members of Canada's 2018 world junior team and took place in June 2018 at a London, Ontario, hotel after a Hockey Canada event. The $3.55-million lawsuit was settled out of court.
Hockey Canada then announced in July that the 2003 world junior team was being investigated for an alleged group sexual assault.
Executives within the organization said in July that Hockey Canada paid out $8.9 million in sexual abuse settlements since 1989, excluding the 2018 incident.
Hockey Canada received $7.7 million in federal backing from Sport Canada in the 2022 fiscal year before the funding was frozen.
"Today marks an important milestone for Hockey Canada in our journey to earn and maintain the trust of Canadians," Hugh L. Fraser, chair of the Hockey Canada Board of Directors, said. "While I would like to thank Minister St-Onge and the government for their vote of confidence and for their ongoing efforts to prioritize safe sport in Canada, I also wish to stress that we still have work to do to change the culture of our sport.
"This is a significant moment for the future of Hockey Canada, and hockey in Canada, as it will enable us to further our commitment to supporting all levels of the sport. We thank the minister and the government for placing their trust in us, and we look forward to working with them to make hockey safer from coast to coast to coast."
Hockey Canada elected a new nine-member board in December after the previous regime was ousted as a result of the controversies. The organization has yet to name a new CEO.