The federal government will launch a three-person commission in the new year to investigate systemic abuse and human rights violations in Canadian sport.
Sports Minister Carla Qualtrough told CBC News she spent more than three months “relentlessly” reviewing the process to address the issue.
“I absolutely think this is a systemic issue,” Quartro said in an interview with CBC News. “I think it’s a crisis.
“We are dealing with complex cases of abuse, harassment and discrimination. [and] This is highly inappropriate and normalized behavior. ”
At a press conference on Monday, Qualtrov, a former athlete who won three Paralympic medals and four world championships in swimming, apologized on behalf of the government to those who faced abuse and discrimination.
“It’s unfortunate that something like this happened. Sports organizations didn’t protect you and didn’t hold those who hurt you accountable,” she said.
When asked if the government could have done more in the past, Qualtlov looked back on his last time as sports minister. She previously held this position from 2015 until 2017.
“I regret not digging deeper into this in my first job,” she said. “It’s not like that issue was a top priority. Looking back, it was definitely going on. But yeah, maybe I should have dug deeper, but my focus at that time was on concussions. was.”
The federal government has been under pressure for months to call for a public inquiry into abuse in sport. Elite athletes, advocates and congressional committees have all called for investigations to address what they call a pattern of normalizing abuse, covering up wrongdoing and failing to hold perpetrators accountable.
Qualtrov said a public inquiry could leave victims in a vulnerable position, exposing them to “combative” cross-examination to prove their case.
“We don’t want people to have to prove that they were traumatized,” she says.
Quartro said he instead chose a process “very closely modeled” on Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which aims to provide a safe space for people to share their experiences. .
Qualtrov said the planned three-person commission’s work “will be trauma-informed and victim-centered.” [and] It is “positive” and “based on the understanding that vulnerable groups of people are being harmed. The system has failed to protect them and we want to make sure this never happens again.” That’s what I think.”
The 18-month commissioning process is expected to begin sometime next year. Qualtrough said Ottawa is seeking an interim and final report with recommendations on governance, funding and policy aimed at transforming the culture of sport.
He said the chairman would be a legal expert, and the remaining two members would be “special advisers,” one with lived experience and the other with expertise in the court system.
Quartolo said committee members will be selected and announced early next year. A start date for the committee’s work has not yet been set.
Quartro told reporters Monday that he estimates the fee will cost between $10 million and $15 million, but it could cost more.
Quartolo said the committee’s activities could include public hearings, regional meetings, an online portal for submissions and the option of in-camera sessions.
Elite athletes have accused the federal government of failing to take action to address abuse in sports. Opposition members accused the government of dragging its feet despite repeated requests for an investigation.
Qualtrow’s announcement also comes a day before her appearance before the Canadian Heritage Standing Committee investigating sports abuse, where she is expected to face questions about why she has not yet called for a public inquiry. .
Athletes wanted a different process
Mr Qualtroff’s predecessor, Pascal St-Onge, said in May that the request for a public inquiry was “justified” and that he was working on one before moving on to another cabinet position. Mr Saint-Onge recently said he would support whatever process the government chooses.
Mr Quartro said he had concluded that a public inquiry would be more rigorous and litigious, requiring negotiations with provinces and territories over jurisdiction.
“The big difference for me is that this is a safe space for testimony to get stories out that will help us build better systems that are more trauma-informed,” she told CBC News. .
“A public inquiry could end up with the conclusion that something bad happened in sports and something needs to be done about it. Instead, I want to start the process from there. ”
She said two parliamentary committees investigating abuse in sports over the past year had already exposed the nature of the long-standing problem.
In Canada last year, Hockey Canada reached a settlement with a young woman who claimed she was sexually assaulted in London, Ontario in 2017 by eight hockey players, including members of that year’s world junior team. , abuse in the sports field became public.
Public outrage intensified when reports emerged that Hockey Canada had used registration fees to pay millions of dollars in settlements over the years without parents’ knowledge.
“We’re watching Hockey Canada pretty closely,” Qualtrov said. She said the changes in the organization’s leadership and her early actions give hope that Hockey Canada is on the “right path,” but she added, “We are at a stage where we can congratulate everyone.” “I don’t think so,” she said.
“I think it’s premature to say there’s no concern,” Qualtrov said of Hockey Canada.
She has the power to cut funding to national sports organizations if they do not follow Canada’s “abuse-free sports program” and said she is “absolutely prepared to do so.” ” he added.
Immediate measures
Mr Quartro also said the government announced immediate measures on Monday to improve the system for reporting abuse in sport, without “undermining or undermining the work of the commission”.
The measures include addressing concerns about the Office of the Sports Integrity Commissioner, which was created in June 2022 to oversee the complaints process, conduct preliminary assessments and maintain a database of sanctions imposed. It will be done.
Mr. Quartro said that because his firm is based in the Sports Dispute Resolution Center of Canada (SDRCC), which operates a tribunal that resolves disputes, the firm’s “appearance of lack of independence” and “appearance of a conflict of interest.” He said he has received complaints.
Amelia Klein, a lawyer and co-founder of Gymnastics for Change Canada, told a parliamentary committee investigating abuse in sports that members of the SDRCC board (players, one coach, and sports organizations) (including representatives from the US) may have personally contributed to the cover-up of the abuse. According to the committee’s report.
Qualtrough announced that Ottawa will move the sports integrity commissioner’s office outside of the SDRCC and address the backlog by streamlining processes.
The government also plans to upgrade the Athletes Advisory Committee, which was established earlier this year, to a “Ministerial Advisory Committee.” The changes will allow athletes to have direct access to Quartro for advice on sports system issues and will meet with them regularly. Athletes will be able to apply to serve on the committee from January 10th.
Quartro said the federal government will also address the “fragmented” nature of sports policy in Canada. She said governance regulations, universal codes of conduct for safe sport and harassment policies were “all over the place in some ways”.
Quartolo said there are also policy gaps that need to be filled, citing the lack of concrete policies to protect children. She said the government was launching a Sports Integrity Framework to bring everything together and establish a systematic approach to sport.
Qualtoff also said the government was launching an international working group on integrity in sport, calling it “the biggest crisis facing the international ecosystem.”