Hopefully, the minster’s audit will shine a little light into the dark corners of hockey’s dirty, little secrets.

By Sheila Copps
First published in The Hill Times on July 18, 2022.

OTTAWA—Hockey is us.

When Canada’s minister of sport announces plans to get tough with hockey harassment, follow the money.

Federal Sport Minister Pascale St-Onge ordered a forensic audit into Hockey Canada last month after it was revealed the organization settled a lawsuit with a woman claiming sexual assault by eight members of the 2018 world junior hockey team.

The audit was intended to uncover whether any federal money was used in the settlement which the minister characterized as a “cover up.”

The audit must have hit a nerve because on July 14, Hockey Canada announced it was reopening the investigation. It issued an open letter promising a new inquiry into the allegations, to be led by an unnamed independent third party.

Hockey Canada also said it would require all players, team staff and volunteers to participate in mandatory sexual violence and consent training.

Consent training? Even the inclusion of that phrase should raise eyebrows.

This is not the first time that hockey has been asked to clean up its act. But with millions of dollars of federal subsidies on the line, apparently the motivation is more robust.

With assets of more than $150-million, Hockey Canada received $14-million in federal funding in the past two years, the CBC revealed recently. While booking a $13.2-million surplus, the not-for-profit organization’s federal support included $3.4-million in emergency COVID subsidies.

During the same period, the CFL was denied a COVID loan, which forced it to cancel the 2020 Grey Cup.

To put the inequity into perspective, according to Sport Canada’s website, minor football was funded to the tune of $605,800 in the last fiscal year.

That’s $14-million versus $605,800.

More than 20 years ago, as federal sport minister, I introduced a requirement for all national sport organizations to establish gender-equity standards for women in sport. Failure to do so came with financial penalties.

So why should Canada still be struggling with the issue of sexual harassment in sport, with a special emphasis on hockey?

Perhaps hockey is in a league of its own.

It is Canada’s nationally designated winter sport. Canada’s national summer sport is lacrosse.

Suffice to say that when it comes to self-image, hockey is the game we all love to play.

Except if you are gay or Black.

Current statistics in the NHL show that there are more than 2,000 professional players in the NHL.

Almost half of them are Canadian, but the number of racialized players is less than five per cent.

According to an article in USA TODAY, there are only 26 Black players in that group. Of that number, 20 are Canadian and six are American.

When it comes to gay players, the numbers are even more pathetic.

The first ever openly gay NHL prospect came out last year.

Luke Prokop became the first player under contract with the NHL to openly speak out about his sexual preference in a social media post, “today I am proud to tell everyone that I am gay. … From a young age I have dreamed of being an NHL player, and I believe that living my authentic life will allow me to bring my whole self and improve my chances of fulfilling my dreams.”

His announcement was met with huge support from head office, with NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman stating that “anybody who is connected to the NHL … we want everybody to know that whoever you are, you have a place in our family.”

But Prokop’s courageous revelation was not followed by a stampede of others. He currently plays with the Edmonton Oil Kings, the junior partner to the Edmonton Oilers, and there have been no more revelations by NHLers.

The NHL does host Pride parties, in support of the LGBTQ community. But why has it been so hard to find a single NHL gay player among more than 2,000 on respective team rosters?

Is this who we truly are as Canadians? Why are we so complacent when it comes to the lack of diversity in our national sport?

In reality, the NHL is no longer only Canada’s game. Even though almost half the professional players hail from our home, the television audience and team distribution is clearly American.

Why does hockey still get top billing when it comes to government financial support, while the CFL was spurned when it came to Canada’s longest-running sporting event, the Grey Cup?

Hopefully, the minster’s audit will shine a little light into the dark corners of hockey’s dirty, little secrets.

Sheila Copps is a former Jean Chrétien-era cabinet minister and a former deputy prime minister. Follow her on Twitter at @Sheila_Copps.