MPs request judicial inquiry, Conservatives call for ouster of Hockey Canada executives, board

TSN Senior Correspondent

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Members of Parliament from four Canadian political parties are calling for the government to convene a judicial inquiry to explore the issue of abuse in sports and provide survivors with a forum to share their stories.

Conservative MP John Nater said his party is also calling for the immediate removal of Hockey Canada’s board of directors and senior leadership team.

“Those who oversaw the cover-up of alleged sexual assaults cannot be trusted to be the ones to implement the necessary structural changes at Hockey Canada,” Nater wrote in a text message to TSN on Friday. “The Liberal government must look at all options to ensure that there is appropriate leadership at Hockey Canada, whether through a third-party independent trusteeship, guardianship, or other measures.”

Nater was joined in calling for an inquiry by Liberal MP Lisa Hepfner, NDP MP Peter Julian and Bloc Quebecois MP Sebastien Lemire. The four MPs are members of the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage, which has been examining Hockey Canada’s response to sexual abuse allegations. The MPs said the committee should also continue with its study of Canada’s richest and most powerful national sports organization (NSO) with more hearings and witnesses in September.

“The culture we've seen within both Hockey Canada and Sport Canada is deep-rooted,” Nater wrote. “I would hope that an in-depth inquiry would be able to tackle some of these issues and provide long-term recommendations. Of course, in the short term, we still need to see immediate change at both organizations.”

A Hockey Canada spokeswoman did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

A judicial inquiry, which University of Ottawa law professor and