Hockey Canada execs could be asked to testify on lawsuit settlement within days

TSN Senior Correspondent

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Hockey Canada executives may be asked within days to testify before a parliamentary subcommittee in Ottawa about the decision to settle a lawsuit in which eight Canadian Hockey League players, including some members of Canada’s 2017-18 World Junior team, were accused of sexually assaulting a woman.

The woman, who is not identified in court records, alleged the assaults occurred in June of 2018 in a London, Ont. hotel following a Hockey Canada event. Her allegations were included in a lawsuit filed April 20 that has been settled. 

The plaintiff asked a judge to award $3.55 million. The amount of the settlement is unknown. The allegations against the players were never proven in court and none of the defendants filed a response.

Canada’s Minister for Sport, Pascale St-Onge, said last week she is ordering an audit of Hockey Canada’s finances to determine whether taxpayer money was used to settle the case.

Kevin Waugh, a Conservative MP who represents Saskatoon-Grasswood and who is a member of the parliamentary subcommittee on Canadian Heritage, said the subcommittee may vote as soon as Wednesday on whether to immediately begin asking for Hockey Canada officials to testify about the abuse allegations and produce documents related to all abuse settlements.

Waugh said Conservative MP Rachael Thomas tabled a motion late Monday to set aside the subcommittee’s current work reviewing Bill C-11, legislation to update Canada’s decades-old Broadcasting Act, and turn its attention to Hockey Canada.

“We have to get into this right away and summon witnesses,” Waugh said. “This just brings back so many memories of Graham James. I thought we cleaned this up after Sheldon Kennedy and Theoren