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Pledge comes amid growing calls for public inquiry.
Minister of Sport Carla Qualtrough said early next week she’s announcing a “formal, independent mechanism” to review systemic abuse and human rights violations in Canadian sports.
Qualtrough made the comment in Switzerland at a UN forum amid ongoing calls inside Canada from athletes, coaches and MPs to launch a public inquiry into abuse in sports.
“The process will be trauma-informed, human rights based and forward-looking,” she said in a speech at the Sporting Chance Forum Tuesday in Geneva.
Elite athletes in multiple sports have accused the federal government of failing to act in response to abuse in sports. They’re among those who have appeared before House of Commons’ committees investigating the problem and have repeatedly demanded a public inquiry.A parliamentary committee also recommended a public inquiry into maltreatment in Canadian sport.
Former minister of sport Pascale-St-Onge committed to “do something to address athletes” whether it was a public inquiry or some sort of “investigation” before she was shuffled to another cabinet position this summer.
In other scenarios when the government was facing a crisis, it appointed people such as retired Supreme Court justices to independently review the problem. For example, amid the military’s sexual misconduct crisis, the government tasked retired Supreme Court justice Louise Arbour with reviewing the issue and releasing a report.
Earlier this year, Ottawa appointed former governor general David Johnston as an independent special rapporteur on foreign interference to probe China’s attempts to meddle in the past two elections, before he stepped down from the role amid controversy and a public inquiry was called.
Qualtrough did not say what the independent mechanism to investigate abuse in sports would look like during her comments in Geneva.
She said she’s also announcing a “series of immediate actions” to address issues that abuse survivors have exposed and underscored at parliamentary committees.
The announcement will include what happens next with Canada’s abuse in safe sports program and the office of the sport integrity commissioner, Qualtrough said.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Ashley Burke is a senior reporter with the CBC’s Parliamentary Bureau in Ottawa. She was recognized with the Charles Lynch Award and was a finalist for the Michener Award for her exclusive reporting on the toxic workplace at Rideau Hall. She has also uncovered allegations of sexual misconduct involving senior leaders in the Canadian military. You can reach her confidentially by email: ashley.burke@cbc.ca
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