A growing list of top-tier corporate sponsors are pulling their support for Hockey Canada鈥檚 men鈥檚 programs for the 2022-23 season amid criticism of the handling of alleged sexual assaults.
Telus Corp., Scotiabank and Tim Hortons have denounced the national governing body鈥檚 ongoing resistance to change and extended decisions to suspend their support of men鈥檚 hockey to the upcoming season, including the upcoming World Juniors tournament.
The move comes as Hockey Canada continues to defend its leadership and the way money was paid out in lawsuits involving allegations of group sexual assaults.
Telus said it鈥檚 鈥渄eeply disheartened鈥� by the lack of action and commitment from the sporting body to drive necessary cultural change.
The company said it remains 鈥渃ommitted to enabling systemic change to make hockey safe for all.鈥�
The decision by Telus follows similar announcements by Tim Hortons and Scotiabank.
The coffee shop chain said Wednesday it also won鈥檛 sponsor any Hockey Canada men鈥檚 programming this season, including the world junior men鈥檚 championship in Halifax and Moncton.
Scotiabank said its sponsorship pause of its support for men鈥檚 hockey at Hockey Canada, first announced in June, will remain in effect throughout the entire 2022-2023 season.
鈥淚n 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,鈥� the bank said in a statement.
鈥淔rom 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鈥檛 wavered: the time for change is long overdue.鈥�
Meanwhile, two provincial hockey organizations have also disavowed Hockey Canada鈥檚 handling of sexual assault allegations.
Hockey Quebec said this week it has lost confidence in Hockey Canada and will not transfer funds to the national organization.
The Ontario Hockey Federation, the largest of Canada鈥檚 13 provincial and territorial hockey associations, has also asked Hockey Canada a second time to not collect the $3 participant assessment fee from its members for the 2022-23 season.
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