Sports Minister Pascale St-Onge has announced new measures to prevent athletes from mistreatment and abuse in the practice of their discipline, particularly through the desire to make national sports organizations and by changing the funding standard.
We are meeting in a somewhat special context, Minister St-Onge said at the beginning. Many allegations of ill-treatment and abuse over the past few days, months and weeks have been headlines weekly. These are things that are hard to read, but they are also things that should move us together.
A series of consultations with community stakeholders since the end of March has allowed the department to develop new measures to clean up the sporting environment in Canada.
Consequently, beginning April 2023, compliance with the new governance and accountability standards is required to ensure that federations qualify for Sport Canada funding.
This measure aims to ensure that governance, accountability and safe sports standards are met by sports organizations that receive federal funding.
In addition, an advisory committee composed of athletes will be set up at Sport Canada to improve their representation in the sports system.
Ms. also greeted. St-Onge is the launch of the new Office of the Commissioner for Integrity in Sport (BCIS), which will begin its activities on June 20.
Sarah-Ève Pelletier, a former artistic swimmer member of the Barreau du Québec and an accredited civil mediator, led the BCIS will be the main cell of the new Canadian safe sport program.
Established by the Sport Dispute Resolution Center of Canada (SDRCC), the BCIS will be mandated to receive complaints about alleged incidents of sports malpractice. The body will also be able to launch independent investigations and recommend sanctions against those found guilty of violations.
According to Ms. St-Onge, the work of BCIS will be fundamental to breaking the culture of silence that has reigned so long in the Canadian sport system. “It gives athletes a clear path to report cases of abuse and mistreatment,” he said. This is a big step forward in our sport system. “
Saturday, the COCs announced $ 10 million investment in safe sport initiatives. The CEO and Secretary General of COCsDavid Shoemaker, also acknowledged the need for urgency in the face of a situation he describes as unmanageable.
Sport in Canada has been hit by several crises in the recent past.
According to Minister St-Onge, allegations of ill-treatment, sexual abuse or embezzlement were made against at least eight national sports organizations in the first five months of his tenure, which began in October 2021.
Canadian gymnastics, artistic swimming, bobsleigh, rugby and swimming federations, in particular, have all been accused of abuse, violence or maintaining a toxic climate for athletes in recent months.
Recently, a story of sexual assault allegedly committed by junior hockey players, including members of the 2018 edition of Junior Team Canada, shook the Canadian sports community.
Ms. also announced. St-Onge in early June to conduct an audit on Hockey Canada to ensure that public funds were not used to cover up the incident.
Radio CanadaGerald Fillion
Source: Radio-Canada
