Telus and Scotiabank have announced the withdrawal of their sponsorship for Hockey Canada’s men’s program.
The decisions come in the wake of Hockey Canada receiving increased scrutiny for its handling of an alleged group sexual assault in London, Ont., in June 2018 involving members of that year’s world junior hockey team.
“We are deeply disheartened by the lack of action and commitment from Hockey Canada to drive necessary cultural change,” Telus said in a statement released Thursday morning.
“Telus will not be sponsoring Hockey Canada’s men’s hockey programs for the 2022-23 season, including the upcoming world juniors tournament. We remain passionate fans and supporters of the sport of hockey and stand committed to enabling systemic change to make hockey safe for all.”
The telecommunications giant is considered a “premier” sponsor. The company has sponsored Hockey Canada since 2004, and in 2017 renewed that partnership until 2022.
Scotiabank, which initially paused its funding in June, also says it will continue to do so throughout the entire 2022-23 season, including the world juniors.
“In our open letter in June, we publicly called on Hockey Canada to hold the game to a higher standard and we are disappointed with the lack of progress to date,” reads Scotiabank’s statement.
“From Hockey Canada, we expect a tangible commitment to transparency with Canadians, strong leadership, accountability with their stakeholders and the hockey community, and improved safety both on and off the ice.
“Ultimately our position hasn’t wavered: the time for change is long overdue.”
Hockey Canada however remains adamant that it won’t be making any changes to its management
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