Liberal, Bloc MPs vote against questioning Canada Soccer officials over drone scandal
CBC
A parliamentary committee will not question the coaches of the national women's soccer team about the Paris Olympics cheating scandal, after Liberal and Bloc Quebecois MPs voted against launching a study on Monday.
The team was penalized during the Olympics this summer for cheating by taking drone footage of an opponent's practice.
NDP MP Niki Ashton put forward a motion at the House of Commons heritage committee to study what role officials from the team and Canada Soccer played in the scandal.
Ashton wanted to hear from suspended head coach Bev Priestman, former head coach John Herdman, analyst Joseph Lombardi, assistant coach Jasmine Mander and Canada Soccer's CEO.
Ashton said the scandal damaged Canada's reputation and there are still questions that need to be answered.
"It's important for parliamentarians, on behalf of Canadians, to seek some accountability and ensure that we are truly supporting our athletes, especially as we gear up for co-hosting the World Cup in 2026," she told the committee.
Six MPs from the Bloc and the Liberals voted down the motion, while five MPs from the Conservatives and the NDP voted in favour.
Ashton said she's very disappointed that the study won't happen.
"This is a Liberal-Bloc cover up," she said. "Canadians have a lot of questions about what is happening, how deep this mess goes and what it will take to fix it."
Ashton said Canada does not need to have any lingering questions about its ethics ahead of the 2026 World Cup.
Sport Minister Carla Qualtrough, who is not on the committee, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Neither did Martin Champoux, the Bloc committee member who voted against the motion.
Lombardi was arrested in Paris after authorities captured a drone that was spotted flying over New Zealand's women's soccer team as they practised three days before they were set to face Canada in the Olympics.
The Canadian team was docked six points in the Olympics group stage by FIFA. Canada Soccer was fined about $313,000, and Priestman, Lombardi and Mander were each suspended for a year.
Findings from an independent external review into the scandal are still forthcoming.
Eight straight losses to the Americans.
Canadian freestyle skier Mikaël Kingsbury earned the 100th World Cup victory of his career on Friday night.
Hockey Canada and the Canadian Olympic Committee will name the Olympic women’s hockey team on Friday afternoon, less than a month before the Canadians open the tournament against Finland on Feb. 5.
In 2018, at the Gangneung Ice Arena in Pyeongchang, legendary ice dancers Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir strapped on their skates for the final time at the Olympics.
Shekai Mills-Knight, a freshman running back for Ole Miss, will earn some attention Thursday night when his Rebels take on the Miami Hurricanes in an NCAA semifinal football game in Glendale, Ariz., but he first made news a decade ago as a grade-schooler deemed too big for the local little league.
Not so long ago, the prospect of two Canadians meeting in Italy’s Serie A would have seemed an unlikely turn. But on Tuesday night in Reggio Emilia, in the crisp, anxious minutes before the whistle blew and host Sassuolo dug in against Juventus, Ismael Koné and Jonathan David stood on opposite sides of the pitch, pretending not to know each other.
This is an excerpt from The Buzzer, which is CBC Sports' daily email newsletter. Stay up to speed on what's happening in sports by subscribing here.
Nearing full health, Olympics is No. 1 goal for moguls legend Kingsbury over potential milestone win
Canadian freestyle skier and reigning Olympic silver medallist Mikaël Kingsbury says he’s almost at full health following a left groin injury as he prepares for a return to World Cup moguls this week in Val St-Côme, Que.
Zayne Parekh didn't have much interest in the high-water mark he had just surpassed.
Canada will play for bronze at the world junior hockey championship.
Chris Jones reports from Milan ahead of the Milano Cortina Olympics.
Cole Reschny tuned into the world junior hockey championship with his family growing up.
On the ice inside a rink in Etobicoke, Ont., where Team Canada was running its second Olympic training camp this past fall, head coach Troy Ryan skated over to Blayre Turnbull.