Hockey Canada executives testify at committee as they face calls to resign

Hockey Canada executives will appear before the House of Commons standing committee on Canadian Heritage Wednesday for the second time this year to answer MPs' questions on their handling of a controversy on an alleged group sexual assault that has rocked the organization.

Hockey Canada CEO Scott Smith and his predecessor, Tom Renney, testified before the committee in June. Since then, it's come to light that Hockey Canada used a fund maintained by membership fees to settle sexual assault lawsuits. Hockey Canada has also pledged to put in place a number of reforms to change the culture within the organization to address abusive and toxic behaviour.

Smith and Renney will again appear before the committee Wednesday, with testimony starting at 11 a.m. ET. The president of the Canadian Hockey League, Dan MacKenzie, will also appear, along with the commissioners of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), Western Hockey League (WHL) and Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL).

Members of Hockey Canada leadership, including Smith, are facing calls to resign and let a new team bring in changes to the organization and sport.

In May 2022, Hockey Canada settled a $3.55-million lawsuit filed in April by a woman who alleges she was sexually assaulted by eight former CHL players following a Hockey Canada Foundation event in London, Ont., in June 2018.

The allegations have not been proven in court. The identities of the players allegedly involved and the alleged victim are not publicly known.

Hockey Canada hired an independent investigator, Henein Hutchison LLP, after it learned of the alleged assault. Police in London, Ont., launched a criminal investigation shortly after.

On Tuesday, Danielle Robitaille, a partner at Henein Hutchison, told the committee she was unable to interview nine of the 19 players at the event. She said the players told her through their lawyer that they would not speak to her until the conclusion of the police investigation.

When police closed the investigation without charges in February 2019, Robitaille said she was still unable to interview the players because she could not get a statement from the alleged victim. 

Robitaille said she was able to get the statement from the victim earlier this year, and she'll now schedule interviews with the remaining players. She told the committee that Hockey Canada will ban any players who don't participate in the investigation from Hockey Canada for life.

London police recently announced that they're reopening the investigation into the alleged assault.

Members of the 2003 world junior hockey team are also facing allegations of a group sexual assault, which allegedly occurred in 2003.