Resignation of CEO and Board of Hockey Canada

Scott Smith has led Hockey Canada since last April.

Shaken by cases of alleged sexual assault, Hockey Canada’s senior management finally decided to step aside. Chairman and CEO Scott Smith and all board members tendered their resignations on Tuesday. Mr. Smith steps down as of today.

“An Interim Management Committee will be established and will guide the organization until at the latest a newly constituted Board appoints a new Chief Executive Officer to lead the organization,” may -we read in a press release from the Canadian federation.

The members of the board of directors will remain in office until December 17, the date of the next board elections. Members who are currently in office will not seek re-election.

“Recognizing the urgent need for new leadership and new perspectives, the entire Board of Directors has announced that it is stepping down,” Hockey Canada also said.

Recall that, according to allegations, Hockey Canada covered up a gang rape case, which occurred in 2018. Eight players from the Canadian junior men's team allegedly sexually assaulted a young woman after a Hockey Canada gala in London, Ontario.< /p>

Federal Sports Minister Pascale St-Onge and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had indicated that the leaders in place no longer had the confidence of Canadians.

The Bloc Québécois is also delighted with the departure of the leaders of Hockey Canada.

“After months of pressure from parliamentarians, sponsors, the media and the general public, the leadership of Hockey Canada has now come to terms. The investigations will have to follow their course and we continue to call for an independent investigation in order to shed light on the opaque and dated management that is underway within Hockey Canada, and subject the organization to a real examination of its practices, “said Sébastien Lemire, Bloc Québécois critic for sports.

Hockey Quebec and other provincial federations had disavowed the Canadian authority.