Hockey Canada. Image credit: Twitter page of Hockey Canada
Following months of scandal stemming from Hockey Canada’s mishandling of sexual assault allegations and the resignation of Hockey Canada’s CEO Scott Smith and other members on Tuesday, the first steps toward rebuilding its board of directors were taken by Hockey Canada.
With an aim at rebuilding the organization from the top down, and taking effect immediately, several revised bylaws were passed by Hockey Canada and its members during a special meeting on Saturday
The former Supreme Court justice Thomas Cromwell recommended the amendments and released a 103-paged interim report on Hockey Canada’s fractured board of directors on Thursday, placing blame on the organization’s senior management team.
“There can be no serious debate” Hockey Canada has lost the confidence of stakeholders, Cromwell wrote in a memo to Hockey Canada’s board of directors on Monday.
An independent nominating committee, which also holds the power to add names to the voting ballot would reviewed and vetted the applications for positions on Hockey Canada’s board of directors.
Hockey Canada’s annual general meeting slated for Dec. 17, would elect a new group of representatives.
It was also recommended by Cromwell that the board elected in December to be a “transition board,” serving for one year.
“Urgent tasks,” would be focused on by the interim board reads a press release from Hockey Canada, but the organization has not outlined what its first tasks may be.
According to another amendment, the deadline for applications to the nominating committee was also updated, pushing the date to Nov. 10 to allow extra time for the committee to recruit a third-party firm for vetting applications.
“Given the change in timing for application submission, materials related to the nomination process will be provided to the Members by Nov. 28, 2022,” the release states.
In the days leading to the board’s decision to step down, a number of corporate sponsors withdrew their support for Hockey Canada.
Cromwell’s other recommendations include ensuring no more than 60 percent of one gender comprise the board, increasing director positions from nine to 13, and smashing directors’ terms so only a third of the positions are up for re-election in any year.
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