SUBMIT A COMPLAINT
Hockey Canada and its Members want to end the culture of silence that exists in parts of hockey.
To help ensure that we are a safe space for raising concerns, Hockey Canada has established a new, fully independent, and confidential reporting mechanism for all individuals regarding any incidents involving Hockey Canada sanctioned programming. This reporting mechanism is known as the Independent Third Party and is led by Brian Ward and Erin Durant.
The role of the independent third party is to:
~ receive all hockey related maltreatment, sexual violence, harassment, abuse or discrimination complaints by someone affiliated with Hockey Canada;
~ analyze complaints in light of Hockey Canada and Member policies and determine how they are to be managed and the proper jurisdiction;
~ where applicable, ensure matters are properly reported to law enforcement or child protection services;
~ retain investigators and dispute resolution panels who are also independent of Hockey Canada;
~ work with Canada’s Office of the Sport Integrity Commissioner and the Member associations to ensure no gaps in complaint coverage and that all complaints are handled in accordance with applicable policies and that decisions are documented in writing.
The new Hockey Canada Discipline and Complaints policy outlines the role of the Independent Third Party and the applicable processes.
HOCKEY CANADA DISCIPLINE AND COMPLAINT POLICY
A
key feature of the Independent Third Party structure is its
independence from Hockey Canada. The Independent Third Party has sole
jurisdiction to handle complaints and keeps the identity of complainants
confidential from Hockey Canada and Member associations. The
Independent Third Party will not be unduly influenced by anyone at
Hockey Canada regarding the complaint administration process. Although
the Independent Third Party mechanism is staffed by some lawyers, those
lawyers do not provide any legal advice to Hockey Canada.
Hockey
Canada will receive anonymized reports from the Independent Third Party
from time to time documenting the number of complaints received,
categorizing complaints and reporting on other metrics such as response
times and the time required to close complaints. This reporting protects
the identity of all those involved with a complaint process while also
ensuring proper oversight of the performance of the Independent Third
Party.
Reporting
Abuse or Harassment is often a difficult process. The Independent Third
Party is committed to operating in a trauma informed manner. For
example:
~ All reports will be kept entirely
confidential, in line with the wishes of the person making the
complaint. This includes confidentiality from Hockey Canada and Member
association staff.
~ All Complaints will be followed up in a timely manner.
~ The Independent Third Party has developed
resources to share with survivors of abuse and can direct survivors to
additional supports.
~ The Independent Third Party answers questions about the complaint process.
~ Complaints are taken seriously and rigorously examined.
~ The Independent Third Party is staffed by a
number of diverse professionals reflecting both gender and racial
diversity. Service is available in both French and English.
Additional
resources will be developed as the Independent Third Party continues
its work and analyzes the ongoing needs to ensure a safe and trauma
informed complaint mechanism.