Hockey Canada faces backlash for poll on sexual assault allegations | CBC News

A recent poll released by Hockey Canada has left some shaking their heads for asking questions about the organization’s handling of allegations of sexual assault as inappropriate.

The poll, seen by CBC News, was distributed to parents, volunteers and coaches to gauge opinions about the sport’s national body.

It has come under intense scrutiny since news broke this spring of an alleged sexual assault following a 2018 gala in London, Ontario involving eight unidentified players – including members of that year’s junior world team – and the subsequent settlement.

In July, allegations surfaced of another gang sexual assault involving the 2003 junior world team. None of the allegations were proven in court.

Participants were asked to rate their agreement with several statements, including:

• “The media’s criticism of Hockey Canada has been overblown.”
• “Incidents like this are unlikely to happen again.”
• “The allegations affect only a few hockey players and are not representative of hockey culture in this country.”

They were also asked to weigh how important it is for Hockey Canada as it works to “address systemic issues in ice hockey” to “stop using membership dues to cover uninsured sexual misconduct claims.”

Hockey Canada told a parliamentary committee that it had obtained most of its settlement monies from its National Equity Fund, which is funded in part by registration fees paid to minor hockey leagues – a fact that has sparked public outrage.

The organization said in July it would no longer use the fund to settle such claims.

‘How can you be so clueless?’

Lisa Wallace is a sportswriter from Ottawa who covers all levels of hockey, from small hockey to the NHL, and has a 15-year-old son who plays AAA hockey.

“I did a survey [and] I literally shook my head reading some of these questions because I was like, ‘How can they be so clueless?'” she said.

Whether it’s Hockey Canada or the market research firm Forsta, which is conducting the survey, Wallace said it felt like the questioners’ backers didn’t have a good understanding of how people currently feel about the organization.

The question of media coverage also left a stale aftertaste.

“I was just like, ‘Really? That’s what you’re worried about? Like, you know, people are worried that they’ve been treated unfairly?'”

Asked about Wednesday’s poll, Sports Minister Pascale St-Onge told reporters in French that she wanted concrete changes from Hockey Canada, not a PR exercise.

Participants were also asked to give their views on whether the sports organization should implement improved character screening for all high-performing players, a comprehensive tracking and reporting system for all abuse complaints, and an apology.

They were also asked whether the sports governing body should “have inclusive and diverse leadership”, “explain what happened” and “introduce new leadership”.

In July, Hockey Canada offered an apology and announced it would relaunch a dormant third-party investigation into the 2018 alleged sexual assault.

Amid mounting public pressure for a major leadership overhaul, the company has also appointed attorney Andrea Skinner as interim chair of its board.

range of questions asked

Screenshots of the survey questions are shared on social media. “The questions in this poll will tell you exactly where their heads are,” one tweet said. “So @HockeyCanada… is this all being exaggerated by the media? Step up to the mic and say that,” said another.

In a statement, the organization said it was not trying to downplay the challenges it was facing or the “horrific allegations of sexual assault against former members of the youth national team”.

“Certain survey questions were created to assess the sentiment and awareness of members of the hockey community about Hockey Canada’s issues,” the statement said.

“Regarding some questions recently shared on social media, participants were given a series of statements to which they could respond by indicating the extent to which they agreed or disagreed.”

Hockey Canada noted that these statements included, “I am reconsidering my child’s participation in hockey based on the allegations” and “There is nothing Hockey Canada can do to regain my confidence.”

Wallace isn’t sure why the sports organization needed a poll in the first place. She said the money could have been put into better programs, like teaching the importance of consent.

“I was just wondering if her leadership is so uninvolved that she doesn’t get the pulse of Canadian parents at the moment? [To the degree] that you feel the need to spend money again…to do this survey?”