The "Independent Third Party": The New Structure For Hockey Canada Complaints

Sport organizations have received a significant amount of publicity in recent years regarding maltreatment by and against both players and coaches. As a result, some of these organizations, including Hockey Canada, have implemented new policies and procedures to handle complaints of sexual assault, harassment, abuse, and discrimination. On October 27, 2022, Hockey Canada announced that they became a full signatory to Abuse-Free Sport, the independent program intended to address and prevent maltreatment in sport. This meant that all complaints of maltreatment at the national level would go directly to the Office of the Sport Integrity Commissioner (OSIC), while for alleged incidents of maltreatment involving other levels of Hockey Canada-sanctioned programming, such as minor hockey and non-national teams, an Independent Third Party (ITP) reporting mechanism was established.