Hockey Canada commissions former Supreme Court justice to lead review into governance

Hockey Canada has hired former Supreme Court Justice Thomas Cromwell to lead a review into the organization's governance structure amid growing calls for its leadership to step down over its handling of alleged sexual assault cases. 

The sport's national governing body is facing intense public and political scrutiny over its culture problems and how it settled a $3.5 million lawsuit for a 2018 alleged group sexual assault case involving Canadian Hockey League players including some members of Canada's World Junior team at that time.

"We have heard Canadians loud and clear and are committed to making the changes necessary to allow us to be the organization Canadians expect," wrote Michael Brind'Amour, chair of the Hockey Canada board of directors in a statement. 

The announcement comes as minor hockey associations are starting to push back and cancel funding. Major sponsors have dropped out and a new police investigation has been opened into a 2003 alleged group sexual assault in Halifax involving World Junior players.

Conservative MP John Nater, who sits on the parliamentary committee probing Hockey Canada's handling of sexual assault claims, said he's continuing to call "for immediate change of leadership at Hockey Canada" despite the new review.

"Those responsible for Hockey Canada over the past 20 years are not the right people to oversee this much needed change," wrote Nater in a statement to CBC News. "The current leadership at Hockey Canada has shown they are more concerned with protecting themselves than they are with finding the truth or combating the culture of silence."

Hockey Canada's president and COO Scott Smith has resisted stepping down despite MPs from several political parties calling on him to do