MP To Call ex-Hockey Canada board member To Testify About Gifts

Summary

• Hockey Canada board members alleged to have received special perks and gifts
• Board members to be summoned before Parliament to address allegations 
• Should board members be held accountable for their actions?

The sexual allegations scandal that has rocked Hockey Canada has also caused other skeletons in the cupboard of the number one sports organization in the country. A former board member of Hockey Canada has alleged that board members have received a number of special perks and gifts from Hockey Canada that allows them to live the high life.

Hockey Canada is currently being investigated by a parliamentary committee into its many failings in brushing aside the sexual allegation and misconduct charges over the last few years. Now, NDP MP Peter Julian wants more accountability from Hockey Canada and said the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage is set to dig deeper once parliament gets back in action on Sep 19.

Peter Julian says that the parliamentary committee is not digging deeper to find dirt and put Canadian Hockey through the muck but to ensure that full transparency and accountability is show so that Canadians can start to rebuild their trust in Hockey Canada.

An ex-board member claimed that Hockey Canada would bestow special gifts on them on a regular basis. The gifts and perks could include flat screen televisions, gold rings, expensive bottles of wine, five star accommodation, iPads and home theatre systems. The ex-board member also claims that Hockey Canada has asked all board members to sign non-disclosure agreements. 

This ex-board member now turned whistleblower claims that all board members were given credit cards and the bills were paid for by Hockey Canada. Whenever Canada won a championship at home, all board members were gifted gold rings on every single occasion.

Should Board Members Be Held Accountable? 

Serving as a board member for Hockey Canada is a voluntary position but it appears board members are being compensated very well. While Hockey Canada management executives are now being held responsible and accountable for the sexual allegations scandal, there are questions being raised as to whether board members should also be held accountable for the lack of transparency and accountability shown by Hockey Canada.

The former board member is set to testify to parliament but as of now we don’t know if the hearing will be done in public or private.