Elite athletes demand public inquiry into abuse in sports
CBC
Elite athletes appeared before a House of Commons committee Monday to accuse the federal government of doing nothing in response to abuse in sports and to demand a national public inquiry.
The athletes — who included Olympic boxer Myriam Da Silva Rondeau, soccer players Ciara McCormack and Andrea Neil, and fencer Emily Mason — told MPs about the physical and mental abuse they endured at the hands of coaches and others officials.
They said that abuse is rampant in multiple sports and they're calling for a fundamental re-think of how elite sports are governed in Canada.
The athletes said existing protections are inadequate and whistleblowers are often scared to come forward because they fear retribution from their abusers, many of whom still work in sport despite past allegations of wrongdoing.
McCormack told MPs she was forced to leave Canada for Ireland to escape abuse at the hands of Bob Birarda, a former Vancouver Whitecaps and national coach who recently was convicted of sex offences.
McCormack said she and others reported Birarda's abuse to Canada Soccer, the sport's governing body, but the organization protected this "known predator" for years.
She claimed Canada Soccer is riddled with "rampant conflicts of interest ... zero oversight" and financial mismanagement.
She said that such allegations should be probed through a national inquiry.
WATCH: 'I just feel ashamed ... to be a Canadian': professional soccer player
"It's shocking that there's nothing being done," McCormack said of the federal government.
"How many times do we have to keep telling you all how this has massively impacted our lives in a really substantial manner? I don't understand, on a human level, how you can literally witness this car accident over and over again and do nothing. It's very disappointing."
McCormack wondered aloud how seriously Sport Minister Pascale St-Onge and her government are taking the problem.
"Is she even watching? Is the prime minister watching? Are they watching?" she asked MPs. "It's so disappointing. I feel ashamed to be a Canadian."
St-Onge told reporters the government will do something to address athlete concerns but hasn't decided yet whether there should be a public inquiry or some sort of "investigation." Either way, the minister said, the process will be "trauma-informed."
The City of Edmonton is developing a wildfire strategy to mitigate risks within the municipality and help neighbouring regions, the city's emergency advisory committee heard Wednesday.
About 20 workers, students and local MPP candidates gathered outside Hamilton's Mohawk College Wednesday — where a fifth of full-time jobs have been cut since December — to call on the province to better fund post-secondary education.
In a busy race to Queen's Park, nine candidates are vying for the Sarnia—Lambton seat — a riding that's been conservative for nearly 20 years.
There's just over a year left in the Canada-Alberta child-care agreement and it's shaping up to be a rocky one for some parents, who — for this first time in the history of the agreement — will see their fees increase as a new phase of the program rolls out.
B.C. MLA Adrian Dix says he gets texts, emails, and even stopped at his local Safeway. He says people urge him to cut off power or even water to the U.S.
B.C. cities, in general, would be among the least vulnerable in Canada if U.S. President Donald Trump follows through on tariff threats, according to new data from the Canadian Chamber of Commerce.
Here's where and when you can vote in advance polls in Waterloo region, Guelph and Wellington County
Voting day is Feb. 27 in the Ontario election, but people can cast their ballots this week in advance polls.
Staff with Summerside Electric say they're not getting many updates from Maritime Electric after a failure at the utility's Sherbrooke substation over a week ago caused strain on the city's electrical grid.
The N.W.T.'s public utilities board has ordered the Northwest Territories Power Corporation (NTPC) to start paying Naka Power $48,500 per month to use a transmission line in the Hay River area, starting March 1.
Ideologically motivated violent extremist groups are using antisemitism in a bid to recruit followers and inspire violence, according to a report from Canada's spy agency.
It's a move that could reshape North American trade.
Ontario's main political parties are competing for the hearts of voters by appealing to their wallets, with a mix of tax cuts and money-back rebates pitched as helping with the cost of living.
With one full week to go before voting day, Elections Ontario is working to reverse a recent downward trend in voter turnout, which set a record low of 43 per cent the last time Ontarians went to the polls in 2022.