Hockey Quebec Freezes Sending Registration Fees To Hockey Canada; Ontario Hockey Federation Requests Fees Aren't Collected

Hockey Quebec voted to freeze sending registration fees to Hockey Canada after losing confidence in the national organization.

Update: After Hockey Quebec officially announced Wednesday afternoon they're withholding funds to Hockey Canada, the Ontario Hockey Federation confirmed it re-sent a request to Hockey Canada to not collect players' registration fees this season.

The Ontario organization originally requested that Hockey Canada not collect the $3 participant assessment fee earlier this summer when Michael Brind'Amour was still the chair of the board of directors. Brind'Amour resigned on Aug. 6.

Hockey Quebec will suspend sending players’ registration fees to Hockey Canada.

The provincial hockey federation voted last night to suspend the fees usually transferred to the national sporting body, according to La Presse and CBC News. Hockey Quebec stated it no longer has confidence in Hockey Canada with the current structure in place.

The vote came hours after the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage questioned former chair of Hockey Canada’s board of directors Michael Brind’Amour and current interim chair Andrea Skinner about the national body’s handling of sexual assault allegations.

Skinner told the committee that “to scapegoat hockey as a centerpiece for toxic culture is in my opinion counterproductive to finding solutions and risks overlooking the change that needs to be made more broadly to prevent and address toxic behavior.”

Sport minister Pascale St-Onge told reporters again on Tuesday she believes Hockey Canada needs new leadership. This followed a Globe and Mail report that Hockey Canada transferred $7.1 million from the National Equity Fund to the Participants Legacy Trust Fund, which was provided to member organizations in case of uninsured claims “for matters including but not limited to sexual abuse.”

Skinner told the committee she doesn’t believe senior leadership should resign based on “misinformation and unduly cynical attacks.” She said the Participants Legacy Trust Fund was never used.

Regional federations previously threatened to withhold Hockey Canada dues in August unless they were better informed of internal improvements from the national organization and of the 2018 sexual assault allegations against members of the Canadian Hockey League, including those on the gold medal-winning 2018 world juniors team.