Andrea Skinner, interim board chair of Hockey Canada, has submitted her resignation, CBC News has confirmed, days after a controversial parliamentary committee assembly the place she defended Hockey Canada’s dealing with of group sexual assault allegations involving previous junior gamers.
The hockey group has been below intense public scrutiny since May, when it settled a $3.5-million lawsuit by a lady who alleged that eight hockey gamers — together with members of the 2018 world junior crew — sexually assaulted her at a resort in London, Ont., whereas she was closely intoxicated.
On Tuesday, Skinner appeared earlier than the House of Commons heritage committee and stated poisonous behaviour is a society-wide difficulty and that it is “counterproductive” to make use of Hockey Canada as a “scapegoat.”
Many MPs referred to as her response boastful and tone-deaf. Major sponsors — together with Tim Hortons, Canadian Tire and Nike — have responded to the scandal by reducing ties with Hockey Canada completely or by withdrawing funding for males’s hockey this season.
In an e-mail obtained by CBC News, Skinner wrote: “Upon reflection, it’s clear to me from current occasions that it now not is sensible for me to proceed to volunteer my time as Interim Chair or as a Director of the group.”
Hockey Canada’s interim board chair defended the group’s management when confronted with pointed questions from MPs about multimillion-dollar payouts to settle sexual abuse claims. Her feedback have prompted new requires Hockey Canada officers to resign.
Radio-Canada first reported on Skinner’s e-mail Saturday night. Hockey Canada confirmed to The Canadian Press later within the night that Skinner had submitted her resignation.
Skinner, a Toronto-based lawyer, has served on Hockey Canada’s board of administrators since November 2020 and assumed the position of interim chair in August after Michael Brind’Amour resigned. She had beforehand performed hockey at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y., and coached on the University of Ottawa.
A CBC News Fifth Estate investigation final week discovered that police have investigated a minimum of 15 instances of alleged group sexual assault involving junior hockey gamers since 1989 — and half of these instances surfaced previously decade.
In complete, a minimum of 50 gamers have been accused within the alleged crimes, with 25 ultimately charged, The Fifth Estate has discovered. Only a kind of charged has been convicted, after pleading responsible to a lesser offence.
Roughly 10,000 minor junior gamers and almost 1,000 main junior gamers are registered to play in Hockey Canada-governed leagues and groups.