For the last three years, callers to the federal government's Canadian sport helpline who wanted to report bad experiences in hockey were referred to either a law firm or an insurance claims adjuster chosen by Hockey Canada, CBC News has learned.
When the telephone service launched in March 2019, Sport Canada collated a list of contacts provided by national sport organizations so that the helpline's operators could refer callers to resources available for their respective sports.
Marie-Claude Asselin, the director in charge of the helpline, told CBC News that, until recently, Hockey Canada provided two potential contacts for callers that wanted hockey complaints investigated: Henein Hutchinson, a firm that specializes in criminal defence cases and civil litigation; and Crawford and Company, which offers insurance loss adjustment services.
Danielle Robitaille, a partner with Henein Hutchinson, appeared before the Commons heritage committee on July 26 to discuss an investigation she was retained by Hockey Canada to conduct into allegations of a group sexual assault by members of the 2018 world junior team in London, Ont.