St. Catharines MP on committee looking into Hockey Canada scandal

St. Catharines MP Chris Bittle is part of a committee that will investigate serious claims made against Hockey Canada.

The MP is the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Canadian Heritage and as such, sits on the Heritage committee, which oversees Sports Canada, which, in turn, is in charge of Hockey Canada.

Hockey Canada is in hot water after allegations that they have a “slush fund” that’s being used to financially settle claims of sexual abuse came to light in May.

At that time, a woman claimed eight hockey players – including members of the 2018 world junior team – sexually assaulted her following a gala event in London, Ont., four years ago.

The issue of whether Hockey Canada has a so-called “National Equity Fund” now seems to be a moot one as the organization stated they would no longer use it to settle sexual assault lawsuits.

So even the organization admits it both exists and has been used for all the wrong reasons. Hockey Canada now claims the fund will instead be used towards “safety, wellness and equity initiatives.”

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau weighed in on the scandal today (July 21), saying there needs to be a “real reckoning” at Hockey Canada as the organization continues to deal with the fallout related to its handling of an alleged sexual assault and out-of-court settlement.