Calls for accountability and change within Canadian hockey mount in the wake of national scandal

Calls for accountability and change within Canadian hockey are growing in the wake of the national organization's alleged sexual abuse scandal — but there is also hope it will be the catalyst to finally change the sport's toxic culture.

"I'm not sure it [change] can happen without a change in leadership," said Daryl Fowler, president of Hockey Winnipeg, which represents about 10,000 players.

'We've had the chairman of the board step down. There is some new things happening. We hope that we can do it with the leadership that's there. If not, again, you know, that's where the provinces and the members have to push and say, we want to see action."

With just weeks until hockey tryouts begin, Fowler said he is taking a lot of calls from concerned parents.

"Parents want to know what the fees are going toward, the $23.80 [per player] that gets sent on to Hockey Canada every year and how much of that money actually was used in this settlement?" he said.

"That's their concern. And, you know, rightfully so."

In April, a woman filed a $3.5-million lawsuit that alleging she was sexually assaulted by eight hockey players in 2018, including members of the world junior team.

Hockey associations and parents were outraged to learn that a special fund made up in part of their registration fees was used to help pay for the settlement.

Earlier this month, Canada's 13 regional hockey federations sent a letter to Hockey Canada, demanding a detailed action plan and a meeting by the end of November to address their concerns. They also threatened to withhold dues payments unless their conditions are met.

Since then, Hockey Canada's board chair resigned and was replaced by an interim chairperson, and a former Supreme Court justice was appointed to review the organization's governance structure. This week, Hockey Canada posted a new job to overhaul the handling of maltreatment, harassment and abuse within the organization. It will involve the creation of a new player screening program and tracking system for complaints.

Several federations, including Hockey Manitoba and Saskatchewan Hockey, have said they are comfortable with the way Hockey Canada is proceeding.

But Fowler is skeptical about Hockey Canada's action plan and says it's time to push back.

"Just because somebody comes out and says, 'This is our plan,' we can't just sit there and say, 'Okay, great, we're going to drop it,'" he said.

"We want to see the accountability. We want to know that our voices are heard and that our members are represented."