Canadian government not closing book on Hockey Canada's settled lawsuit

The Canadian government has put Hockey Canada under the microscope.

Sports Minister Pascale St-Onge has ordered a financial audit of an out-of-court settlement involving a woman who alleged she was sexually assaulted by junior hockey players following a Hockey Canada event in London, Ont.

A motion also passed Thursday in Canada's House of Commons summoning Hockey Canada to Canadian Heritage's standing committee "to shed light on its involvement in a case of alleged sexual assaults committed in 2018."

As first reported by TSN, the woman accused eight Canadian Hockey League players, including members of the 2018 national junior team that won world junior gold that year, of sexual assault following a Hockey Canada Foundation gala in London, Ont., in June of 2018.

She filed a $3.55-million lawsuit against Hockey Canada, the CHL and the unnamed players. The lawsuit was settled. The allegations against the players were never proven in court.

Hockey Canada refused comment Friday on the forensic audit and the committee summons. A spokesperson referred The Canadian Press to a previous statement in response to the settlement:

"Hockey Canada is deeply troubled by the very serious allegations of sexual assault regarding members of the 2017-18 National Junior Hockey Team. As soon as Hockey Canada became aware of this matter in 2018, we contacted local police authorities to inform them. The same day, we also retained Henein Hutchison LLP, a firm with extensive experience in this area, to undertake a thorough independent internal investigation and make recommendations on areas for improvement which we have been implementing and will continue to pursue.

"The person bringing the allegations forward chose not to speak with either police