Despite the efforts of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (LHJMQ), Commissioner Gilles Courteau admitted to parliamentarians that a “secret locker room culture” still exists and announced that an improper behavior prevention program would be put in place.
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“There is a moment when the dressing room door closes. From now on, the QMJHL wants to put in a window,” Gilles Courteau said Wednesday during the parliamentary committee on violence in sport.
The commissioner reiterated that he was “deeply disturbed” by the revelations about a culture of demeaning initiations in the midst of youth hockey. He claims that after some verification, it turned out that none of the cases mentioned in the Radio-Canada report that started the February 13 fire involved the QMJHL.
Mr Courteau nonetheless stressed that the QMJHL “is not above other leagues” and he admitted that “there is a harmful culture in the sport”.
In order to put an end to this “culture of silence” which would be the cause of the unfortunate events in initiation activities, the commissioner announced that an independent committee is currently working on the implementation of an action plan and program to prevent improper behavior.
Mr. Courteau also committed to launching a consultation process with teams to meet players and staff to gauge the magnitude of the problem and identify avenues for intervention.
Eventually, starting in 2023-2024, a “QMJHL locker room code” will be introduced. This determines the behavior expected of all players and anyone with access to the locker room.
This parliamentary commission is MPs’ initiative in response to the crisis raging in the junior hockey world after revelations surrounding a culture of violent initiation against recruits emerged and were denounced by many alleged victims in Ontario courts.
Three Canadian junior leagues, including the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (LHJMQ), are targets of these allegations. Affidavits denouncing sexual abuse, assault and other horrific assaults were released, shocking the political class and civil society at large.
Throughout Wednesday, lawmakers will hear from representatives from the QMJHL and the Canadian Hockey League (CHL), as well as Hockey Québec, the Student Sports Network (RSEQ) and McGill University.
More details to come…
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