Hockey Canada’s progress to help transform the culture and safety of our National Winter Sport

Katherine Henderson provides an update on the implementation of the initiatives in Hockey Canada’s Action Plan.

Katherine Henderson

As the national governing body for amateur hockey in Canada, Hockey Canada recognizes our role, responsibility and duty to be a leader in delivering a sport that is rooted in safety, inclusiveness and respect.

To help drive systemic change in our National Winter Sport, in 2022 Hockey Canada published a comprehensive Action Plan that prioritized addressing education and training, sport integrity and governance in hockey.

Since then, with the support of our Board of Directors and Members, we have implemented significant initiatives to help transform the culture and safety of hockey, many of which were envisioned for in the Action Plan.

As part of our commitment to being transparent and accountable to all Canadians, we want to provide you with an update on the changes that have been made, including initiatives that remain ongoing priorities for our organization:

All national team athletes, coaches and staff are required to undergo our mandatory enhanced screening process, and complete training on sexual violence and consent before they are eligible to represent Hockey Canada
Adopted the Universal Code of Conduct to Prevent and Address Maltreatment in Sport
Established an Independent Third Party for any hockey-related maltreatment complaints against anyone affiliated with Hockey Canada-sanctioned programs who fall outside of OSIC’s jurisdiction
Became one of the first national sport organizations to be a full signatory to Abuse-Free Sport and the Office of the Sport Integrity Commissioner (OSIC)
Undertook a significant independent governance review led by the Hon. Thomas Cromwell, C.C. and implemented his recommendations
Achieved gender equity with the Hockey Canada Board of Directors
Hosted two Beyond the Boards Summits, which were led by external subject-matter experts and individuals with lived experience to help establish a roadmap to change the culture of the game at all levels
Published annual reports on nation-wide data of maltreatment in sanctioned hockey, as part of our efforts to better track, identify and respond to maltreatment in the sport
Produced an Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Path Forward, which includes a Commitment to Action Statement that summarizes our ongoing work to drive long-term, sustainable change within the hockey ecosystem in Canada
Created a new National Team Athlete Committee with eight elected athlete representatives from our national men’s, women’s and para hockey teams, who are empowered to make recommendations to Hockey Canada on issues that impact their fellow athletes
Expanded our sport integrity department to include experts on harassment, abuse, injury prevention, mental health and gender equity
Completed an independent review of our education and training and initiated a multi-year transformational plan on all education offerings
Launched a new purpose, vision, mission and values that reflect where we are headed as an organization, sport and community and were developed based on input from Canadians
Formed a women’s and girls’ hockey steering committee that published a national discussion paper on the current state of the women’s and girls’ game in Canada and we are actively working towards developing formal recommendations to help the sport realize its full potential
Engaged academic researchers to complete studies that examine the root causes of troubling behaviours in elite hockey
Hired a governance expert to ensure that as our organization and sport evolve, so does our governance
Completed an extensive review of our player pathways with stakeholders to ensure they are inclusive for men’s, women’s and para hockey

The work to create a safe, health and inclusive sport is never done and it is our responsibility to create and monitor programs and services that are athlete-centred, and focus on safety, well-being and the enjoyment of hockey.

While important progress has been made since 2022, we recognize there is still more work to be done and we will continue to update you as we drive systemic change within our National Winter Sport.

For more information on specific initiatives that have been completed as part of the Action Plan, please refer to these previously published announcements:

October 13, 2022 – Hockey Canada welcomes interim governance review

October 15, 2022 – Hockey Canada moves swiftly on initial Cromwell report recommendations:

October 27, 2022 – Hockey Canada becomes full signatory to Abuse-Free Sport

November 4, 2022 – Hockey Canada releases final independent governance review

November 18, 2022 – Update from the independent nominating committee

December 2, 2022 – Hockey Canada publishes report on Rule 11.4 – Discrimination

December 12, 2022 – Independent nominating committee announces diverse candidates to lead change at Hockey Canada

December 17, 2022 – Hockey Canada’s Members elect new Board of Directors

December 20, 2022 – Statement from the Hon. Hugh L. Fraser on behalf of the Hockey Canada Board of Directors

February 4, 2023 – Statement from the 13 leaders of the provincial and territorial Hockey Canada branches

February 15, 2023 – Independent audit confirms Hockey Canada compliance with Government of Canada contributions

February 22, 2023 – Hockey Canada enhances commitment to safe sport and cultural change in hockey