Open Letter to the Prime Minister of Canada
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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