The 2023 IIHF World Junior Championship will be held in New Brunswick, and Premier Blaine Higgs says the province is “totally united” with Nova Scotia in waiting to see how Hockey Canada responds to the scandal surrounding its treatment of sexual assault claims.
In response to the issues, Higgs told reporters on Friday that he would like to see “some meaningful action.”
The locations of the tournament are Moncton and Halifax.
Tim Houston, the premier of Nova Scotia, stated on Thursday that before moving forward, “some serious reforms” are needed.
Higgs stated on Friday that severing relations with the occasion was an option.
“We’ve thought about it… But since there wouldn’t be a distinct choice taken, we’ll do it together with our Nova Scotian colleagues, he said.
“The equation takes into account every factor.
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Higgs expressed his hope that the situation won’t get to the point where New Brunswick and Nova Scotia will have to withdraw as sponsors of the competition. He said a decision will be taken in the next several weeks.
By the end of October, at the very least, according to Higgs, it shouldn’t take any longer.
“Tim and I are completely in agreement with the course of action and our partnership in this event.
For the 2022–23 season, Hockey Nova Scotia indicated it will formally cease the transfer of participant assessment payments to Hockey Canada. This comes after the provincial governing bodies for the sport in Ontario made a similar announcement and after Hockey Quebec said it was severing relations with its federal counterpart.
Hockey Canada’s list of sponsors quitting is becoming longer.
It currently includes Telus, Tim Hortons, Canadian Tire, and Sobeys, the latter of which just expressed its “disgust” at the allegations.
New Brunswick and Newfoundland and Labrador’s provincial hockey organisations are emphasising their efforts to combat sexual violence in response to criticism that the sport’s national governing body handled alleged sexual assaults improperly.
However, unlike other recent provincial organisations, Hockey New Brunswick and Hockey Newfoundland and Labrador refrained from severing relations with Hockey Canada.
In a statement released today, Hockey New Brunswick acknowledged rising worries about Canadian hockey culture and sport administration.
It claims that it is “actively working to develop education opportunities” that address inequality, machismo, and sexual violence.
Hockey Newfoundland announced on Thursday that it is pleased to have recently created an LGBTQ2+ policy and a programme to combat sexual violence among its members.
Since it was made public in May that a woman who claimed in a $3 letter that Hockey Canada had paid her a hidden settlement, the organisation has come under severe investigation. After a gala in London, Ontario in 2018, she filed a $55 million lawsuit alleging that eight players, including members of the nation’s global junior squad, had sexually abused her.
In July, allegations of gang sexual assault against the 2003 World Junior Team surfaced. In court, none of the accusations have been established.
It has also come to light that Hockey Canada kept a fund for uninsured liabilities, such as accusations of sexual assault and abuse, that was financed in part by minor hockey registration fees.
Over the past week, in response, Hockey Ontario, Hockey Quebec, and Hockey Nova Scotia have cut ties with the national governing organisation.
Hockey Nova Scotia announced on Thursday that it had “lost trust” in Hockey Canada’s management and has stopped sending money to the national association. On Wednesday morning, Hockey Quebec passed a similar resolution, and the Ontario Hockey Federation immediately asked Hockey Canada not to charge its more than 200,000 members the $3 participant assessment fee.
The hockey associations in Newfoundland and New Brunswick both declined to say whether they would stop sponsoring Hockey Canada.
— Using documents from Karla Renic of Global News.
Premier of New Brunswick claims that severing ties with the world junior hockey championship is still an option.
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