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Harassment in sport: St-Onge asks provinces to have an investigation system in place by the end of 2023

OTTAWA –

Federal Sports Minister Pascale St-Onge is calling on provincial and territorial partners to set up independent bodies to handle harassment complaints from athletes by the end of the year.

“All governments will work together so that every athlete and participant in Canada is protected by an independent mechanism, with the aim of achieving this by the end of 2023,” St-Onge told. reporters on Saturday.

In recent weeks, Ottawa has said that provinces and territories are making progress in providing athletes with a comparable standard for reporting abuse or harassment, as well as independent investigation of such complaints.

St-Onge said as of Saturday, Quebec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia have adopted such mechanisms, while the rest can either set up their own agency or join a jurisdiction of Federal Sports Integrity Commissioner.

On Saturday, she announced a target for all provinces and territories to follow through on that pledge by the end of the year.

St-Onge argues that having a targeted timeline equates to “enormous progress” in having a unified approach to the issue and emphasizes that it takes time to establish and operate a reliable reporting agency.

“We understand that all jurisdictions have their own processes, their own budget programs, their own calendars that we need to respect. But that doesn’t mean we can’t guarantee the safety of our shipments. encouraging, children, teenagers, young people all over the world. country seriously,” she said.

St-Onge spoke after meeting with her provincial and territorial partners on the sidelines of the Canadian Olympics in Charlottetown, where she said they compared different options for these mechanisms. .

Health Minister Prince Edward Island Ernie Hudson, who chaired the meeting, told reporters the goal was to “remove offenders from sport” across Canada.

“For us or anyone else, this is not a rush to get it done. It’s a rush to get it right,” he said.

“Only through a pan-Canada approach can we make sport truly a force for the good of our nation, for athletes of all levels and abilities,” he said. , all ages”.

Recent allegations of abuse and harassment related to Canadian Hockey — as well as from figure skaters, figure skaters and gymnasts — have resulted in what St-Onge calls crisis.

She told a congressional committee this month that part of the problem stems from a lack of consistency in how complaints are handled across the country.

“It’s important that we have consistency in the system. Right now, what we see is it’s very different,” she told the House’s women’s status committee last week, in French. .

“I don’t transfer money to anyone, but the reality is that the sports system involves many jurisdictions and I cannot deal with it alone,” she added in English.

Last month, dozens of Canadian and global sports scholars signed a letter calling for a national investigation to examine “pervasive reports of sexual, physical and psychological abuse of athletes.” athletes in the country’s sports system.”

Those scholars argue that Ottawa’s current plans are not enough to hold people accountable.

St-Onge said on Saturday that addressing the issue requires sports organizations to make sure people face the consequences. Coaches and parents must also be informed and demonstrate leadership, she added.

“It’s really a collective responsibility,” she said in French.

“No one can change the culture in a sport, or completely succeed in preventing abuse and mistreatment. It’s really a shared responsibility.”


This report by The Canadian Press was first published on February 19, 2023.



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