Yahoo Finance Canadian Tire permanently cuts ties with Hockey Canada over sexual assault allegations
Canadian Tire Corp., a retailer that built its identity around selling hockey equipment to youngsters, ended its partnership with Hockey Canada on Thursday, raising the pressure on the sport’s governing body that’s been mired in controversy over its handling of sexual assault allegations at the elite level.
“In our view, Hockey Canada continues to resist meaningful change and we can no longer confidently move forward together,” senior vice-president of communications Jane Shaw said in an emailed statement. “After careful consideration, Canadian Tire Corporation has made the decision to end its partnership with Hockey Canada.”
Canadian Tire said it will continue to invest in the “beloved national game” by redirecting its funds to sports organizations that “better align” with the company’s values. Shaw named Respect Group Inc., the group co-founded by former professional player Sheldon Kennedy to prevent bullying, abuse, harassment and discrimination, as one of the organizations that will now receive funding.
“All stakeholders need education to ensure that sport is safe, inclusive and respectful,” Kennedy and fellow co-founder Wayne McNeil said in a statement. “We are excited to partner with Canadian Tire on this common pursuit to create positive sport culture where kids have fun and stay involved.”
Many of Hockey Canada’s corporate sponsors have created distance since allegations of sexual assault by elite players came to light at the end of May, pausing their sponsorship deals.
Canadian Tire is the first major sponsor to permanently severe ties with Hockey Canada.
On Wednesday, Tim Hortons said it officially informed Hockey Canada this week that it has pulled its sponsorship of all men’s hockey programming for the 2022-2023 season, including the World Junior Championships set to kick off in Halifax at the end of December.
“We’ve communicated to Hockey Canada on many occasions that the organization needs to take strong and definitive action before it can regain the faith and trust of Canadians. We’re deeply disappointed in the lack of progress that Hockey Canada has made to date,” spokesperson Michael Oliveira said in an emailed statement.
The coffee chain will continue to fund hockey programs for women, youth and players with disabilities, Oliveira said.
Bank of Nova Scotia and Telus Corp. also said their relationships with Hockey Canada would remain on pause, taking the same actions as Tim Hortons.
“In our open letter in June, we publicly called on Hockey Canada to hold the game to a higher standard and we are disappointed with the lack of progress to date,” Scotiabank spokesperson Douglas Johnson said in an email.
Telus’ statement echoed those of the other sponsors. “We are deeply disheartened by the lack of action and commitment from Hockey Canada to drive necessary cultural change,” the company said.
TSN broke the news that a woman in London, Ont., alleged that eight players, including some from Canada’s world junior team, sexually assaulted her in June 2018 following a gala event hosted by Hockey Canada. The woman reportedly filed a lawsuit in April this year, seeking $3.55 million in damages from Hockey Canada, the Canadian Hockey League and the eight unnamed players. Hockey Canada settled the lawsuit outside of court for an undisclosed amount.
The latest warnings from sponsors followed parliamentary testimony this week by Hockey Canada leaders that irritated politicians. Interim chair of Hockey Canada’s board of directors Andrea Skinner told lawmakers that “toxic culture” and a “culture of silence” exist at Hockey Canada, but that they also exist in many other parts of society such as education, business, politics, and religious institutions, the National Post reported.
Skinner said it is “counterproductive” to say that it is a “specific hockey problem” or to “scapegoat hockey as a centrepiece for toxic culture.” Skinner also defended president and CEO Scott Smith’s handling of the situation, telling MPs that he deserves an “A” for his conduct.
Both Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and federal Sport Minister Pascale St-Onge have called for Hockey Canada executives to step down, with Trudeau saying it “boggles the mind” how the organization isn’t taking the controversy more seriously.
• Email: bbharti@postmedia.com | Twitter: biancabharti
