The host provinces for the upcoming world junior hockey championship are requiring Hockey Canada to sign an anti-harassment policy and to ensure it oversees training to prevent sexual assault and harassment.
Hockey Canada says it announced in July that all national team players, coaches and staff would undergo training on sexual violence and consent.
Hockey Canada also says in an email that it adopted a universal code of conduct last month that all players and staff must sign, adding that any breach could result in a lifetime ban from its programs.
The threat of “bans” and forced training of young men regarding sexual harassment and sexual assault do little to correct or “treat” a deviant sexual subculture that exists in junior hockey. A subculture that has existed for decades, not just in recent memory.
While it is a nice reaction to Hockey Canada’s stepping into its own mess regarding payoffs for sexual assault victims, it is just that, a reaction. A reaction after months were wasted arguing publicly why leadership of Hockey Canada should not be forced to step down.
While those leaders did eventually step down, it was long after the damage had been done. Irreparable damage to the Hockey Canada brand, and the governance structure in which it operated.
Of course this tournament will take place under a microscope within a vacuum, it remains to be seen how, or if, Hockey Canada can be saved.
