A coalition of groups representing Canadian athletes has issued an open letter calling on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to launch a public inquiry into the “toxic climate and abuse” in the sports system.
The Coalition Against Abuse in Sport is questioning the Prime Minister directly as they believe Sport Minister Pascale St-Onge has ignored numerous requests from the sporting community for an investigation. The group also accuses the minister of doing so putting aside the survivors and their lawyers
in his discussions on cleaning up the Canadian system.
When a series of measures to make association boards more transparent were announced last May, the minister indicated that there would be a public inquiry but that she was not ready immediately.
Systemic problems in the sports system are human rights violations, the coalition wrote in its letter. We cannot deny a human rights-based approach. We can no longer rely on sport to control us or solve our problems. We need solid, empirical data and evidence to guide the way forward, which can only be achieved through a national survey.
The letter is signed by numerous organizations, including Human Rights Watch, but also by athlete groups such as Gymnasts for Change Canada, Soccer for Change Canada and Figure Skating for Change Canada.
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