Minister of Sport hints at big changes for handling of abuse cases

Safe sport has been governed through the Sport Canada Accountability Framework since it was implemented in 1996 in the wake of a sexual abuse scandal involving former junior hockey coach Graham James. National sport organizations must have a safe sport policy — and a designated individual to handle complaints — in place to receive government funding.

But in recent months and in light of a handful of high-profile cases in Canada, athletes and administrators — Olympic wrestling champion Erica Wiebe and Sheldon Kennedy, a retired NHL player and sex abuse victim among them — have publicly called for an independent party to handle cases.

Abuse, discrimination and harassment were among the topics of Duncan’s working group on gender equity, which was assembled shortly after she was appointed sport minister in January of 2018.

“The report has come forward, I will be addressing it, and you will see actions coming of their recommendations,” Duncan said.

The minister said a meeting is scheduled for this week in Red Deer, Alta., with representatives at the federal, provincial and territorial levels ahead of the 2019 Canada Winter Games, and that ending abuse and harassment in sport had already been a top priority.

A CBC investigation, published Sunday as the first of a three-part series, reported “at least 222 coaches” were convicted of sexual offences from 1998-2018. The report also said 34 other cases of accused coaches are currently before the courts.

“My heart goes out to all those who have been affected, and I have one goal: it’s to close the gap, to do the hard systemic cultural change and make this right going forward, to do everything we can to protect our athletes and kids,” said Duncan, a former gymnast and longtime coach. “I can’t say it enough, this is my top priority. One athlete, one child is too many.”

Wiebe, who won gold at the 2018 Rio Olympics, was among a group of Canada wrestlers who appealed to Duncan in writing in December to establish an independent body to investigate harassment and abuse, claiming a conflict of interest and inconsistency in the current system had created an environment of fear and mistrust.

“Sometimes when you have a problem with your boss, it’s really awkward to go to your boss and complain about it,” Wiebe told The Canadian Press in December. “And so, if you’re having an issue with your coach, and your coach is employed by your CEO, we’ve seen it so many times where organizations are protecting the coaches, they’re protecting their employees rather than their athletes.

“So at times it doesn’t feel safe or comfortable for an athlete to come forward because we don’t want to put our goal, our lifelong dream of making an Olympic Games in jeopardy. Sometimes it’s this fear of keeping the status quo, rather than shifting the boat, because there’s been no independent body that we can go to and feel safe.”

Athletics Canada released a statement Monday applauding the CBC’s investigation.

“All members and participants need to trust the sport system with their safety,” the release said. “It should not matter what sport an athlete chooses, safety should be universally understood, expected and applied with no exceptions.”

While the sentencing of U.S. gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar last year might have been a watershed moment for sexual harassment and assault in sport, Canada has had its own high-profile cases. Marcel Aubut resigned as COC president in 2015 after an investigation over numerous sexual harassment complaints.

In June, several former members of Canada’s ski team spoke publicly about the abuse suffered at the hands of former coach Bertrand Charest in the 1990s. Charest was convicted last year of 37 offences of sexual assault and exploitation.

Former Canadian women’s gymnastics coach Dave Brubaker has pleaded not guilty to one count of sexual assault and one count of sexual exploitation, and Justice Deborah Austin is expected to deliver her decision on Wednesday.

Duncan applauded the CBC’s investigation, saying “I really think this is the power of the media to shine a light on a longstanding problem, a dirty secret in sport, and I made it my priority from Week 1 that I was going to address this long-standing problem of abuse, discrimination and harassment.”

Lori Ewing , The Canadian Press

by Canadian Press

Minister of Sport hints at big changes for handling of abuse cases

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