Hockey Canada says over 900 cases of on-ice discrimination reported last season | CBC Sports
Hockey Canada says there have been greater than 900 documented or alleged incidents of on-ice discrimination — verbal taunts, insults and intimidation — throughout all ranges and age teams in the course of the 2021-22 season.
The knowledge contained within the nationwide sport group’s first-ever report monitoring the problem reveals 512 penalties for discrimination had been referred to as by officers, whereas 415 allegations had been investigated after the very fact.
Hockey Canada launched a brand new part to its rulebook in August 2021 to deal with maltreatment in a federation that had near 520,000 registered gamers final season.
The 14-page doc launched Friday particulars the appliance of Rule 11.4, which offers particularly with discrimination, together with race, language, faith, sexual orientation, gender identification/expression, genetic traits and incapacity.
The report’s launch comes on the heels of the “action plan” unveiled by Hockey Canada in July to deal with “toxic behaviour in the sport” because it handled the dramatic fallout of alleged sexual assaults involving members of each the 2018 and 2003 world junior groups. None of the allegations have been confirmed in courtroom.
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Report doesn’t replicate off-ice incidents
The group mentioned data launched Friday would not replicate off-ice incidents of maltreatment, sexual violence or abuse, which beginning this season might be dealt with by the federal authorities’s Office of the Sport Integrity Commissioner or a brand new unbiased third-party criticism course of.
“As this is the first year of reporting, [the data] does not present a comprehensive representation of discrimination in hockey,” the doc learn. “With that in mind, the data contained in this report is a critically important first step in Hockey Canada’s ongoing efforts to better track, identify and respond to maltreatment in hockey.”
The group added “capacity and readiness” to gather and report data from its 10 provincial and three territorial members different.
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“Education, awareness and discussion on processes were necessary in order to make improvements,” the report said. “As a result, there were inconsistencies in the rule application at times.
“Learnings had been collected all through this course of and are being constructed upon for subsequent years.”
Hockey Canada, which has committed to more transparency following a string of scandals that enraged the public and politicians alike, is picking up the pieces following a horrendous spring, summer and fall that saw its federal and corporate funding paused or halted entirely due to the organization’s handling of sexual assault allegations and payments to victims.
Former Supreme Court judge Thomas Cromwell, meanwhile, headed an independent review into Hockey Canada’s governance. The 221-page report concluded the federation was at a “crossroads” and called for more oversight and accountability.
A vote on a new board and chair by Hockey Canada’s provincial and territorial members is slated for Dec. 17.
Discrimination involved sexual orientation, gender identity
Friday’s report related to on-ice discrimination showed that of the 512 penalties called by officials across the country last season, 61 per cent involved sexual orientation or gender identity, followed by race (18 per cent) and disability (11 per cent).
More than half of those incidents — 55 per cent — came in the under-18 age bracket, while 76 per cent occurred at the competitive level.
Players accounted for 96 per cent of the penalties assessed, while male participants made up 99 per cent of infractions.
When it came to allegations that weren’t witnessed by an official and required an investigation, 47 per cent of the reported discrimination was race-related, while 40 per cent concerned sexual orientation or gender identity.
Competitive hockey saw 70 per cent of the allegations, with players making up 76 per cent of the overall number. Male participants accounted for 67 per cent of allegations, while gender wasn’t provided or available in 31 per cent of reports.
Hockey Canada’s data showed 37 per cent of allegations initially undetected by on-ice officials eventually resulted in an “unsubstantiated” ruling, 18 per cent in suspension, 17 per cent in written warnings and 13 per cent in education, while 10 per cent ended with multiple or “different” sanctions. Five per cent remain under investigation.
The combined per capita rate of the penalized and alleged discrimination incidents stood at 0.18 per cent among the 519,755 registered players in 2021-22.
The organization said it will push out another report on Rule 11.4 after this season, and is aiming to have all instances of maltreatment, abuse and harassment tracked and shared in 2023-24.
“Hockey Canada and its members acknowledge the inherent significance of knowledge assortment,” the report concluded. “Hockey Canada commits to persevering with to make nationwide reviews on maltreatment publicly obtainable and accessible on an annual foundation as a part of its total sport security framework.”
