National Assembly committee calls for governance changes at QMJHL in hazing report

A Quebec legislature committee wants to see governance changes at the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League to prevent hazing.

In a report on sports hazing released Tuesday, the National Assembly's culture and education committee said it wants to see the league run by an independent board of directors, instead of a board that consists of team owners.

The report, adopted unanimously by the committee, said players need to be involved in the senior management of the league.

"With an independent board, it's like a watchdog," Enrico Ciccone, the Liberal sports critic and a former NHL player, told reporters at a joint news conference with members of other parties who sat on the committee.

Ciccone said that boards made of entirely of insiders tend to want to protect their brand and may be more inclined to cover things up — as was the case with Hockey Canada. The sport's national governing body came under fire last year for its handling of sexual assault allegations against players on its 2018 and 2003 world junior teams.

The recommendation is one of 23 made by the committee.

"There are thousands of young people in Quebec who practise sports, we want it to be positive experience ... in an environment that is stimulating but, above all, safe, without any form of violence," said Suzanne Tremblay, the Coalition Avenir Québec MNA for Hull.

Among the other recommendations are that the QMJHL establish what activities are acceptable during initiations and what constitutes hazing.

The committee is also recommending that all junior hockey and other sports organizations ban hazing, including specific activities during initiations such as tattooing players, sex acts, physical violence and drinking games.

"It's to make it uniform," said