The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (LHJMQ) board should be “completely independent” to prevent the league from prioritizing the profitability of its operations over player safety.
This is the conclusion of the Culture and Education Committee following its work on the exposure of initiation violence in the world of junior hockey.
Also read: Hockey Sexual Abuse: More than $15 million class action lawsuit filed against LHJMQ
The commission’s report recommends that the QMJHL board does not consist of “a majority of owners or team members” and that it incorporates a “better balance of women and cultural minorities.”
“We want to break with the ‘boys’ club’ scheme,” said Quebec Solidarity MP Vincent Marissal at the presentation of the report in Parliament on Tuesday afternoon.
Currently, the QMJHL Board is formed by the owners of the circuit’s 18 teams. For Mr Marissal, this is a problem because the interests of the owners are “closely linked to the commercial operation” of the league, which could tempt them to hide information in certain circumstances.
- Listen to the interview with Enrico Ciccone, Liberal MP for Marquette, official opposition critic for sport on QUB radio:
Not just hockey
The Commission’s recommendations are aimed at “all sports federations”, emphasized CAQ MP Suzanne Tremblay.
In fact, the report recognizes that “all sports are affected by instances of violence or abuse.” However, it focuses more specifically on the case of ice hockey, and ten of the commission’s 23 recommendations are addressed directly to the QMJHL.
The report states that there is “a consensus about the existence of a culture that encourages excess” in introductory activities in the ice hockey environment. “This culture is characterized in particular by an unequal ratio between recruits and veterans and an overvaluation of victory,” it reads.
“Do you have to break the law or break your teammates to win?” Vincent Marissal quipped in response to a journalist’s question, asking if such a statement attacked the very nature of hockey.
Clear definition
Even though initiations have been banned in the QMJHL for several years, the authors of the report consider this ban to be insufficient because the prohibited gestures are not clearly defined.
They therefore propose that all sports federations adopt a “hazing policy” that specifically prohibits 19 practices, including engaging in sexual activity, depriving you of sleep, food or hygiene, and participating in a drinking contest.
Liberal MP Enrico Ciccone, himself a former ice hockey player, stressed that this report should not be seen as a punishment but as a proposal to protect young athletes. Nonetheless, he made it clear that MPs would not hesitate to invite the leaders of any league that violated these recommendations to the committee.
“No one likes to stand in front of a commission (…). “If it were just us, personally I would have them brought here for the next three years,” he said.
“But I’m a bit stiffer,” he added immediately. My colleagues can confirm that.”
Some recommendations from the Committee on Culture and Education
– That the QMJHL implement a genuine code of conduct that governs the entire sporting life of players for the coming season and ensures that it is respected and regularly updated.
– That the QMJHL establish an independent and external mechanism to handle complaints, including the possibility of sanctions, and that a link with the Quebec “I Complain” mechanism be ensured to avoid ambiguity
– That the government explore the possibility of establishing a primary prevention program and provide funding to offer such programs to student athletes.
– That the Complaints Officer for the Protection of Integrity in Sport may receive complaints relating to alleged facts that occurred before the end of the 120 days.