[Couverture en direct] Reactions to Junior Hockey Initiation Scandal

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Posted at 3:04pm. Updated 4 minutes ago

Disturbing testimonies from the inauguration were revealed during a class action filing.

On February 3, Judge Paul Perrell of the Ontario Superior Court issued a ruling in a class action lawsuit filed by three former junior hockey players.

Photo: Getty Images/GoodLifeStudio

• On February 3, Judge Paul Perrell of the Ontario Superior Court issued a decision in a class action lawsuit.

  On February 3, Judge Paul Perrell of the Ontario Superior Court issued a decision in a class action lawsuit.

• The three plaintiffs alleged that Canada’s three major junior hockey leagues, their teams and their managers maintained a toxic environment.

  The three plaintiffs alleged that Canada’s three major junior hockey leagues, their teams and their managers maintained a toxic environment.

• The plaintiffs alleged that the youngest players in those leagues, the rookies, were victims of discrimination, homophobic behavior, verbal, physical and sexual abuse, among other things.

  The plaintiffs alleged that the youngest players in those leagues, the rookies, were victims of discrimination, homophobic behavior, verbal, physical and sexual abuse, among other things.

• Judge Perrell dismissed the class action lawsuit.

  Judge Perrell dismissed the class action lawsuit.

• Instead, the judge proposed an individual procedure so that each plaintiff’s case would be heard individually.

  Instead, the judge proposed an individual procedure so that each plaintiff’s case would be heard individually.

• Over the next few months, plaintiffs must find abuse victims who played on all 60 teams in the Canadian Hockey League.

  Over the next few months, plaintiffs must find abuse victims who played on all 60 teams in the Canadian Hockey League.

Today

• 5:25 p.m

  It is unacceptable and shameful that generations of young people are exposed to such abuse, said Federal Sports Minister Pascale St-Onge.

  The initiations must stop now, she adds.

  The minister advocates an investigation into culture and abuse in the world of sport, but fails to get it in the right form.

• 5:06 p.m

  Québec solidaire parliamentary leader Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois called the testimonies unearthed from the world of junior hockey “horrifying”.

  That bothers me as an elected official. It bothers me as a human. It bothers me as a parent. And it bothers me as a hockey fan too, he said on ICI RDI radio on Monday morning.

  The MP calls for deep reflection in the hockey community and in amateur sport in general, so that young people can develop in a safe environment. A strong message needs to be sent out by people who hold positions of responsibility in the Quebec hockey world, he stresses.

• 4:03 p.m

  Quebec Minister of Higher Education Pascale Déry has expressed extreme concern about the phenomenon of initiation of young people, particularly in the field of hockey. Asked about the issue at a press conference on Monday morning, she said she is working closely with Sport Minister Isabelle Charest to ensure a culture change.

  For sports teams, this change needs to be even more profound, she stresses. It’s a medium that’s probably a bit more difficult, I’ll admit.

  However, the minister specifies that a complete ban on initiation is not currently in her considerations, but that she wants to sit down with her colleagues and take a closer look.

• 3:12 p.m

  Martin Leclerc was interviewed on D’abord l’info this morning where he explained the issues surrounding the class action lawsuit brought by three former junior hockey players.

  5:58

  Interview with Martin Leclerc

• 3:05 p.m

  Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the reactions to Martin Leclerc’s column, which uncovers the lid on a years-long degrading initiation scandal in Canadian junior hockey. Radio-Canada will seek the reaction of Minister for Sport Pascale St-Onge, who is due to testify before the Standing Committee on the Status of Women in Ottawa this morning.

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