Federal politicians are firing red balls at Hockey Canada

UPDATE DAY

Federal Sports Minister Pascale St-Onge and all the opposition parties fired red balls at the administration of Hockey Canada after its leaders passed through Parliament on Monday to testify on an investigation into a gang rape. 

“Hockey Canada must take action to end the culture of silence, to make participation in player surveys mandatory,” the minister said Tuesday morning. 

The organization has no failed to lift the veil on the identity of the eight men who participated in a gang rape that occurred in 2018 as part of a Hockey Canada event, despite a 26-month internal investigation, explained its leaders in committee, arousing the reproach of the elect.

“I find this extremely disturbing and it shows that the culture of silence is well established in this sport and there must be more action on the part of Hockey Canada in this regard,” added Minister St-Onge.

She said that the government would look at “all options” to “strengthen funding agreements with sports organizations, to ensure that there is more accountability in the sports system and to ensure that leaders are putting provisions and measures in place to prevent the culture of silence.”

A lineup of Conservative MPs, including former hockey coach Richard Martel, opined that “Hockey Canada must put victims first .”

“Hockey Canada is a huge organization with a huge responsibility. It is an emblem of our culture. The protection of our athletes cannot come before the safety of others. It is not a Canadian value nor that of Hockey Canada officials who testified yesterday,” they said in a press release.

Bloquiste Sports Critic Sébastien Lemire s is also insurgent against the leaders of the organization.

“What we saw yesterday was a kind of lack of compassion on the part of Hockey Canada, a real concern for manage their image and maintain a kind of culture of silence or camouflage around players who are alleged in this scandalous story,” said the deputy in an interview with QUB radio on Tuesday morning.