For the last three years, callers to the federal government's Canadian sport helpline who wanted to report bad experiences in hockey were referred to either a law firm or an insurance claims adjuster chosen by Hockey Canada, CBC News has learned.
When the telephone service launched in March 2019, Sport Canada collated a list of contacts provided by national sport organizations so that the helpline's operators could refer callers to resources available for their respective sports.
Lawyer Danielle Robitaille, partner at Henein Hutchison LLP, appears as a witness at the standing committee on Canadian Heritage on July 26, 2022. The committee is looking into Hockey Canada's involvement in alleged sexual assaults committed in 2018. "As part of the safe sport helpline, participating [national sport organizations] are required to recommend independent investigators for the program," Hockey Canada said Monday in a statement to CBC News.