Canadian National Women’s Hockey Team calls for “new Hockey Canada” to emerge from sexual assault crisis

Trigger warning: this article discusses sexual assault.

On behalf of the Canadian National Women’s Hockey Team, forward Marie-Philip Poulin, defenseman Erin Ambrose and other team members published a statement on Twitter on Monday advocating for systemic change within Hockey Canada in the wake of multiple sexual abuse scandals.

In recent weeks, numerous reports have shed light on alleged sexual assaults committed by members of the 2003 and 2018 Canadian National Men’s Junior Teams.

Hockey Canada has come under fire for its handling of these events and the subsequent fallout. The Canadian federal government announced it will freeze Hockey Canada’s funding, while many of the governing body’s major sponsors suspended their partnerships with the organization.

The statement from the Canadian National Women’s Hockey Team, shared by Poulin in both official languages, demands a “thorough and transparent investigation of the incidents in question as well as the structure, governance and environment that exists within the organization.”

“While the name of Hockey Canada has been tarnished by these alleged incidents, Hockey is the sport that we love to play and Canada is the country that we proudly play for and are honoured to represent — the value of these two words, and what they represent to us and all Canadians, is of immeasurable importance,” the statement reads.

“We are writing to you today to declare, first and above all else, that we intend to be part of the fight for the truth. All of the facts related to this terrible situation must — and will — come to light. After all, the only way to treat an injury is to acknowledge it fully.”

The full statement can be found below:

A Statement from the Canadian National Women's Hockey Team pic.twitter.com/vBXyxo7zqf

— Marie-Philip Poulin (@pou29) July 25, 2022

The women’s team also said “there is much more work and action needed to fully address the underlying issues in order to ensure that a new Hockey Canada emerges from this crisis,” and emphasized how it feels “it is important to have women sitting at the table as this process evolves.”

Earlier on Monday, Hockey Canada published what it calls an “Action Plan” to “address the behaviours that are undermining the many good things the game brings to our country.” The women’s team said it was “encouraged” by the Action Plan but also referred to it as only “a step towards towards addressing toxic behaviours.”

Former Hockey Canada executive Glen McCurdie, Sport Canada executive Nicole Mulligan, and insurance company BFL Canada president Barry Lorenzetti have been subpoenaed to appear in front of the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Tuesday and Wednesday.