Federal government says it will restore funding to Hockey Canada — with conditions

The federal government is restoring its funding to Hockey Canada, saying the organization must fulfil several conditions in exchange for the financial support.

"While federal financing is only a fraction of Hockey Canada's revenues, I wish to reiterate that our funding is not a blank cheque," said Minister of Sport Pascale St-Onge in a letter addressed to Hugh Fraser, Hockey Canada's board chair.

"Hockey Canada also must tackle issues regarding safe sport, such as the toxic behaviours, the trivialization of sexual violence, and the culture of silence, which has too often made the headlines," St-Onge wrote. "There is no reason why such situations should continue to plague hockey or any other sport."

Hockey Canada has been embroiled in controversy since it was revealed it used registration fees paid by parents to settle a case in which a young woman alleged eight hockey players sexually assaulted her after a 2018 Hockey Canada gala.

In a statement released Sunday by Hockey Canada, Fraser said the government's announcement represented "an important milestone for Hockey Canada in our journey to earn and maintain the trust of Canadians.

"While I would like to thank Minister St-Onge and the government for their vote of confidence and for their ongoing efforts to prioritize safe sport in Canada, I also wish to stress that we still have work to do to change the culture of our sport," Fraser said in the statement.

CBC News reported last month that the government was considering restoring funding to the organization. Hockey Canada received $7.7 million from Sport Canada — a department of Heritage Canada — in the 2022 fiscal year but their funding has been frozen for 10 months.

A financial statement also shows the organization