Coalition Against Abuse Calls for The Government of Canada to Launch a National Inquiry

1 June 2023

Dear Honorable Prime Minister Justin Trudeau,

On behalf of thousands of Canadian athletes, we are calling on you to exercise your powers as leader of this country to protect every child, youth, and elite athlete by launching a national inquiry into the toxic culture of abuse across Canadian sport. 

As you are aware, athletes and leading sport organizations in this country have called on the Minister of Sport, the Honorable Pascale St-Onge, to launch a national inquiry for over a year. Sadly, not only have these countless requests been ignored, survivors and advocates, who are not paid by the sport system, have been sidelined instead of engaged to collaborate. Survivors have lived experiences and expertise that is critical for developing solutions to this crisis. The limiting of their involvement in these discussions has been deeply troubling.

To date, more than 1000 athletes from over 14 sports have called for a national inquiry. Their demands have been echoed by Scholars Against Abuse in Canadian Sport, Global Athlete, the Coaching Association of Canada, Canadian Women in Sport, Own the Podium, and the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport. 

Furthermore, the Minister of Sport’s most recent announcements have not staved off these calls for an inquiry, but rather fueled them. Days following her announcement, both the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport and Own the Podium reinforced the need for an inquiry.

Many sport organizations and agencies have openly said the system is broken and needs to be fixed. They, along with athletes, are begging for help. It is clear they do not have the resources or skills to fix the current sport crisis. More importantly, they lack the independence and transparency necessary to sufficiently investigate and analyse how the unaccountable governance model of Canadian sport has bred and maintained a culture rife with harrowing maltreatment. 

The systemic issues within the sporting system are too entrenched in human rights abuses to deny a human rights approach to finding a solution.  We cannot look to sport to police itself or fix its problems anymore. We need strong, empirical data and evidence to guide the way forward, which can only be achieved through a national inquiry. 

This is about protecting every child, youth, and adult athlete with meaningful changes. Ultimately, this is also about your legacy and how you respond to thousands of Canadian citizens identifying a crisis that only the highest echelons of political power can address. With the authority you wield as Prime Minister, we are asking you to launch a national inquiry into maltreatment and abuse in sport, to contribute to a safer Canada and to preserve your legacy as a leader that cares for all Canadians.

Sincerely,

On behalf of the following organizations:

Human Rights Watch

Scholars Against Abuse in Canadian Sport

Global Athlete

Sport and Human Rights Lab

Fast and Female Supporting Women in Sport Foundation

Yukon Human Rights Commission

Athlete Ally

The Army of Survivors

Gymnasts for Change Canada

Soccer for Change Canada

Figure Skating for Change Canada

Fencing for Change Canada

Spot a Spider

The Restitution Project

Swansea Centre of Research in Sport and Society (SCORSS)

Virginia South Psychology Professional Corporation

Vancouver Rape Relief and Women's Shelter

Sarnia-Lambton Children's Aid Society

Bell Safety Consulting Inc.

Embodied

World Association of Ice Hockey Players Unions North America (WAIPU NA)

Winnipeg Newcomer Sport Academy

Columbia College

London Blizzard Sledge Hockey Club

Women's Para Hockey of Canada

LMBHA London Minor Ball Hockey Association

Badminton Ontario

The Little Gym of London

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