Hockey Canada has released a plan to combat any “toxic” behaviour in the sport a day before the start of a second round of parliamentary hearings into the organization’s handling of sexual assault complaints.
The plan includes the implementation by the end of September of a centralized tracking and reporting system for abuse complaints.
Hockey Canada also says it will implement enhanced screening for high-performance players and will mandate that breaching the organization’s code of conduct or refusing to participate in an investigation could result in a lifetime ban.
The measures are in addition to those announced in a July 14 open letter, including a revival of a dormant third-party investigation into an alleged sexual assault involving members of the country’s 2018 world junior team.
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Hockey Canada has had its federal funding frozen and multiple corporate partners pause sponsorships since news broke of the 2018 allegation and the ensuing settlement of a lawsuit filed by the complainant.
While it is not known which players were involved in the alleged incident, Global News reached out to the agents for all players on the roster at the time. Several players have since released public statements denying their involvement.
A second sexual assault allegation involving the 2003 Canadian junior team surfaced on Friday.
The Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage is to hear testimony Tuesday and Wednesday.
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