Nicholson, Skinner among those summoned to testify on Parliament Hill

OTTAWA — The House of Commons heritage committee has ordered another round of hearings into Hockey Canada's handling of sexual assault claims, with past and present top executives and board chairs summoned to testify.

In a meeting Tuesday, the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage agreed to order Hockey Canada interim board of directors chair Andrea Skinner, former chair Michael Brind'Amour and former president and chief executive officer Bob Nicholson to appear at an Oct. 4 hearing.

This is the first time a member of the board of directors has been called to testify, and will also mark the first appearance by Nicholson. Current Hockey Canada president and CEO Scott Smith and Tom Renney, who preceded Smith and succeeded Nicholson in the roles, have testified in two previous hearings.

The committee held the first round of hearings June 20 after news broke of an alleged sexual assault involving players on Canada's world junior team in 2018 after a Hockey Canada gala in London, Ont., and a hushed settlement between the organization and the complainant.

The federal government froze its funding to Hockey Canada two days later, and several corporate sponsors paused their support.

Hockey Canada came under further scrutiny when The Canadian Press reported that it had been using a reserve fund, built in part by hockey registration fees, to settle uninsurable claims including settlement of sexual assault cases.

A second allegation against members of the 2003 junior team surfaced July 22. Another round of parliamentary hearings was held July 26-27, with a multipartisan group of MPs calling for a change in Hockey Canada's leadership.

Skinner took over as board of directors chair after Brind'Amour stepped down Aug. 6 before his