As police investigate alleged group sexual assaults involving members of the 2003 and 2018 Canadian men鈥檚 world junior hockey teams, 39-year-old Erin Schnare said she is on the fence about allowing her children to register for the upcoming hockey season.
Schnare lives in Halifax with her husband and three children. Her eldest son, who is about to turn seven, has been playing hockey for nearly two years, while her three-year-old daughter will soon be eligible for enrollment.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 know if I鈥檒l put them in this year, I鈥檓 struggling with it,鈥 she told CTVNews.ca in a telephone interview on Thursday. 鈥淲hat if things don鈥檛 change?鈥
The scandal stretches back to May of this year when Hockey Canada reached a settlement with a woman who claimed she was sexually assaulted in London, Ont. by several members of the Canadian world junior hockey team. The incident allegedly took place in 2018. In June, the to Hockey Canada and major sponsors, such as Scotiabank and Telus, also .
Since then, another allegation of group sexual assault has surfaced involving members of the Canadian .
After hearing about the allegations, Schnare said she was 鈥渄isgusted,鈥 which puts her in a difficult position when deciding whether to let her children play hockey. Her son loves to play and her daughter loves to watch, she said. While she doesn鈥檛 want them to miss out on participating in the sport they love, Schnare said she worries about the ethics behind allowing her children to play, and the message this might send to Hockey Canada.
鈥淚f I keep putting my kids in hockey, am I really helping to facilitate change or am I just going along, status quo?鈥 she said. 鈥淎re they going to interpret that as me not caring about what they did or that I agree with it? I hope not.鈥
A number of Canadian parents reached out to CTVNews.ca expressing concerns with enrolling their children in hockey, due to the sexual assault allegations involving Hockey Canada.
Schnare鈥檚 biggest concerns involve the culture around the sport, which she described as one that enables misogynistic behaviour. Scott Smith, president and CEO of Hockey Canada, acknowledged some of these concerns in a parliamentary committee hearing on July 27.
鈥淗ockey Canada understands Canadians鈥 trust in us has been eroded and we are committed to take every action possible to earn it back,鈥 Smith said at the hearing. 鈥淚 know you 鈥 want answers and you want to see real action taken to end the culture of silence that allows toxic behaviour and sexism to fester in corners of our game. I do too.鈥
Rhonni Bonn, a single mother who lives in Westbank First Nation, in the Okanagan region of British Columbia, said the surfacing of these allegations have caused her to lose trust in the organization.
鈥淭hese are young men that are doing things that they shouldn鈥檛 be doing,鈥 she told CTVNews.ca on Sunday in a telephone interview. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e there to be positive, inspirational role models 鈥 to young children, and they鈥檙e really not.鈥
Since registration for the fall hockey season opened in June, Bonn said she and her 12-year-old son have been discussing whether he should enroll. With these allegations now top of mind, Bonn said her son has decided not to play this year.
鈥淗e鈥檚 not going to play hockey because 鈥 he鈥檚 disappointed,鈥 Bonn said. 鈥淗e didn鈥檛 like that that was going on 鈥 and he didn鈥檛 agree with it. He鈥檚 looking forward to taking a break.鈥
Bonn, 49, said her son has played in the West Kelowna minor hockey league for five years now. Despite enjoying the sport and spending time with his teammates, he refuses to play in the upcoming season after hearing about the allegedly disrespectful behaviour shown to women by members of the Canadian world junior hockey teams, a decision Bonn said she supports.
鈥淚鈥檓 a single mom trying to raise a young boy to respect women, and these people in the hockey association don鈥檛,鈥 she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a big turnoff. Why would I support rape culture? I鈥檇 rather send him somewhere else.鈥
Candice Mansour said if it was up to her, she wouldn鈥檛 let her three children participate in hockey in the fall, particularly her 10-year-old daughter whose hockey team forms part of the Canterbury Hockey Association in Ottawa. But with her husband unlikely to be on board, chances are they will still be registered to play.
鈥淚 have lost total trust,鈥 the 49-year-old mother told CTVNews.ca in a telephone interview on Thursday. 鈥淸But] I will be forced to put them in, should he and the kids desire it. My voice alone will not be enough in my household.鈥
The culture of silence within the sport is what concerns her the most, Mansour said. Accountability for poor behaviour should be addressed starting at the grassroots level, she said.
鈥淭he hockey community is one [where] even if parents have a concern, they don鈥檛 come forward with it 鈥 because they don鈥檛 believe that they鈥檒l be heard,鈥 Mansour said.
Additionally, to see membership fees being used to pay for sexual assault settlements and related legal fees is frustrating, she said.
During the parliamentary committee hearing on July 27, Hockey Canada revealed it has paid out $7.6 million as part of nine settlements related to sexual assault and abuse claims since 1989. The money for these payouts came from the organization鈥檚 National Equity Fund, which is maintained by registration fees.
鈥淗aving been on the Canterbury Community Association鈥檚 board of directors, we're always scraping for money and worrying [whether] we can buy our kids water bottles and meanwhile, there's all this money being funnelled away for legal fees and other things,鈥 Mansour said. 鈥淗ow could that benefit our kids?鈥
Among the questions posed by MPs to executive members of Hockey Canada during the hearing was one from Lisa Hepfner, member of Parliament for Hamilton Mountain in Ontario, about whether or not using the fund to settle sexual assault claims allows potential perpetrators to escape accountability, ultimately perpetuating the problem.
鈥淭his money is used to support the victims of the individuals, not the perpetrator,鈥 said Brian Cairo, chief financial officer of Hockey Canada, at the hearing. 鈥淲e feel very strongly that we need to support those victims.鈥
In terms of whether or not parents should be concerned about enrolling their children in hockey, the organization said families can be assured that Hockey Canada is taking the appropriate steps to foster a respectful culture by addressing toxic behaviours both on and off the ice, and encouraging participants to speak out when something is wrong.
鈥淲e have heard the anger and disappointment of Canadians, and in particular the parents of the hockey players that Hockey Canada represents,鈥 Esther Madziya, communications manager for Hockey Canada, wrote in an email to CTVNews.ca on Friday. 鈥淐hildren come first, and parents can take comfort in knowing that as part of the steps we are taking, structures like the Universal Code of Conduct to Address Maltreatment in Sports (UCCMS) are in place to protect every athlete.鈥
This includes the administration of education and training designed to create a safer sporting environment for players, coaches, employees and volunteers, according to an . These efforts are in addition to a full review of Hockey Canada and its National Equity Fund, overseen by an independent third party. Throughout the process, Hockey Canada will be subject to a series of checks and balances, including public reporting and tracking.
鈥淐anadians have been clear 鈥 they expect those representing our national sport to do better,鈥 Smith said. 鈥淲e own it and we will do better to deliver on our responsibilities to Canadians.鈥
Hockey Canada has also announced it will no longer use its National Equity Fund to settle sexual assault claims. The fund will instead be used to provide insurance for hockey players, as well as counselling and treatment, criminal record checks of Hockey Canada staff, and additional support for players who suffer physical injuries, said the statement from Madziya.
The organization is also into the allegation of sexual assault involving the Canadian men鈥檚 world junior hockey team in 2018, followed by a referral to an independent panel of judges to determine consequences.
鈥淲e do not take the trust parents put in Hockey Canada for granted, and we know the actions we are taking now should have been taken sooner,鈥 said Madziya鈥檚 statement. 鈥淲e also understand that trust is earned not given and we will work relentlessly to earn back what has been lost.鈥
While Schnare remains unsure whether her children will participate in hockey in the fall, she said she hopes to see Hockey Canada do more to change the culture around the sport in Canada so that players don鈥檛 see themselves as 鈥渁bove others.鈥 She also wants to see the organization take more accountability for its role in facilitating this attitude and acknowledging it has a responsibility to find a solution, she said.
鈥淭hey should be moulding [these boys] into great people, not just great hockey players,鈥 she said.
Bonn said she would like to see those involved in the allegations be held accountable, and hopes to see a greater emphasis placed on mental health among those in the sport.
For Mansour, the solution lies in continuing to speak out against poor behaviour exhibited within the sport, she said, and organizations such as Hockey Canada shouldn鈥檛 be showing tolerance for disrespectful conduct.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 know what the solution is other than people coming forward,鈥 she said. 鈥淒ifficult conversations are necessary 鈥 for bad behaviour.鈥
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