Question Period Note: Government of Canada responses to Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton’s actions relating to maltreatment allegations.

The Government of Canada is taking steps to ensure appropriate accountability with Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton following allegations of maltreatment at various levels in the organization.

• The Government of Canada remains committed to promoting an environment where all Canadians can safely engage in sport.
• Since 2018, our government has worked to ensure safe, welcoming, and inclusive environments for everyone. We require all federally funded sport organizations to take measures to ensure a culture free from harassment, abuse or discrimination of any kind.
• Recently, our government placed additional conditions on Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton, including becoming signatory to the Office of the Sport Integrity Commissioner.

• Budget 2019 provided $30 million over five years, starting in 2019–20, with $6 million per year ongoing, to enable Canadian sports organizations to promote accessible, ethical, equitable and safe sports.
• On June 19, 2018, the following measures were announced to enhance the existing policy framework in these areas: Federally funded sport organizations must: 1-Take all necessary measures to create a workplace free from harassment, abuse or discrimination of any kind; 2-Immediately disclose any incident that could compromise the project or programming to the Minister responsible for sport; 3-Make provisions for access to an independent third party to address harassment and abuse cases; 4-Provide mandatory training on harassment and abuse to their members by April 1, 2020.
• In February 2019, during the meeting of federal, provincial, and territorial Ministers responsible for sport, physical activity, and recreation, Ministers endorsed the Red Deer Declaration for the Prevention of Harassment, Abuse and Discrimination in Sport. As part of this declaration, Ministers will develop a collaborative approach to increase awareness, prevention, identifying and reporting, and monitoring to address harassment, abuse, and discrimination in sport. Ministers also agreed to make "safety and integrity in sport" a standing agenda item for future meetings.
• Sport Canada supported the Coaching Association of Canada to host a series of nationwide consultations on the development of a Universal Code of Conduct to Prevent and address Maltreatment in Canadian sport (the Code). The resulting Code, which includes general principles, definitions of misconduct and prohibited behaviours and an approach to sanctions, was endorsed by the majority of national-level sport organizations and released publicly in December 2019.
• The Code covers the areas of 1-Psychological Maltreatment (e.g. verbal acts, non-assaultive physical acts and acts that deny attention or support; 2-Physical Maltreatment (e.g., contact or non-contact behaviours that have the potential to cause physical harm, such as malnutrition); 3-Sexual Maltreatment (e.g., Criminal Code Offences of sexual assault, sexual exploitation, sexual interference, etc.); and 4-Neglect (e.g., not providing an Athlete recovery time and/or treatment for a sport injury, not being aware of and not considering an individual’s physical or intellectual disability, etc.).
• In July 2021, the then Minister of Canadian Heritage announced that the Sport Dispute Resolution Centre of Canada (SDRCC) had been selected, based on the recommendations of a committee of representatives of Canadian sport and experts in prevention of abuse, to establish and deliver the independent mechanism which will be called the Office of the Sport Integrity Commissioner.
• The Office of the Sport Integrity Commissioner administers the implementation of the Code and delivers services to federally funded organizations.
• During the winter of 2022, concerns about the culture of Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton and allegations of events from members of the organization were reported in the media.
• The Minister of Sport has indicated her intent to gradually make it mandatory for all federally funded organizations to use the services of the Office of the Sport Integrity Commissioner to act as their independent third party to receive and manage allegations of maltreatment.
• On March 22, 2022, the Minister of Sport ordered a financial audit of the Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton.
• On March 30, 2022, the Canadian Olympic Committee Athletes Commission released a statement calling for actions by the sport community to address the issue and on Sport Canada to expedite the process to launch the independent mechanism and make it mandatory for all organizations to use its services.
• On April 5, 2022, the SDRCC announced the hiring of Sarah-Ève Pelletier, former national team artistic swimmer, member of the Quebec Bar, and accredited civil mediator, as Canada’s first Sport Integrity Commissioner.
• On June 20, 2022, Abuse-Free Sport, the Office of the Sport Integrity Commissioner, officially opened its doors.
• On August 24, 2022, the Minister of Sport sent a letter to Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton outlining the requirements that must be met by the organization, including to become a signatory to the Office of the Sport Integrity Commissioner, to agree on the establishment of a High-Performance Management Group to oversee the skeleton and bobsleigh high-performance programs for the remainder of the 2022-23 competition season, and to develop a plan on how to address any upcoming recommendations stemming from the Recipient Compliance Audit currently underway.
• On October 20, 2022, Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton signed on to the Abuse-Free Sport run by the Office of the Sport Integrity Commissioner. In addition, a High Performance Management Group for skeleton has been established and the Terms of Reference are in negotiation for a High Performance Oversight Group for bobsleigh.

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