The women鈥檚 national hockey team could be affected by the federal government鈥檚 decision to suspend funding to Hockey Canada, even though the problems stemmed from the men鈥檚 team.
The Canadian women鈥檚 and para hockey teams rely heavily on federal funds to operate.
The bulk of training costs for men鈥檚 teams are borne by pro or junior clubs who loan players to Hockey Canada for international tournaments.
So when federal sport minister Pascale St-Onge froze Hockey Canada鈥檚 funding over its handling of an alleged sexual assault by members of the 2018 world junior men鈥檚 team, the women worried about the financial fallout for their team.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a concern for sure,鈥� forward Blayre Turnbull said. 鈥淲e consider ourselves professional athletes without the professional paycheque.
鈥淎 lot of our money comes from the government and comes from other organizations like that. Our program would be greatly impacted if the freezing of funds continues to happen.鈥�
Among the 142 senior and developmental players currently participating in a Calgary camp are 19 women who won Olympic gold in Beijing in February.
The first women鈥檚 world championship to be held in the same calendar year as an Olympic Games opens Aug. 25 in Denmark.
Canada鈥檚 women will attempt to defend the world title won a year ago in Calgary where they edged the U.S. in overtime in the final.
Their Denmark preparation isn鈥檛 curtailed, but the financial future of the women鈥檚 program seems murky to the players under the current sanctions.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a valid concern, especially long term,鈥� said Gina Kingsbury, director of hockey operations for Hockey Canada鈥檚 women鈥檚 teams, to The Canadian Press. 鈥淲e鈥檙e entering territory that we don鈥檛 fully understand. I鈥檓 trying to focus on what I can control.
鈥淪hort term, the message from Hockey Canada was that we won鈥檛 be affected here this season. It鈥檚 normal to think long term, what are these impacts? If it affects Hockey Canada long term, it affects our women鈥檚 program.鈥�
St-Onge suspended Hockey Canada鈥檚 funding after TSN鈥檚 Rick Westhead reported the organization reached a financial settlement with a woman alleging members of the 2018 men鈥檚 world junior team sexually assaulted her at a Hockey Canada event.
Hockey Canada later revealed members of the 2003 world junior men鈥檚 team were under investigation for alleged sexual assault in Nova Scotia. The allegations haven鈥檛 been proven in court.
But federal money is withheld until Hockey Canada meets St-Onge鈥檚 conditions. They are a financial audit of the organization, producing the recommendations of an investigative report by a third-party law firm, developing an action plan to change culture, and becoming a signatory to the Office of the Integrity Commissioner.
Hockey Canada has taken steps to meet those terms, but St-Onge told members of Parliament last week the money won鈥檛 start flowing again 鈥渦ntil we鈥檙e satisfied the conditions have been met.鈥�
鈥淚 think it鈥檚 really important that these issues are being talked about, that we鈥檙e going to get down to the bottom of it,鈥� women鈥檚 forward Brianne Jenner said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 the hope and I think all Canadians want to see that.鈥�
The women鈥檚 team received $6 million in Own The Podium funding over the four years leading into Beijing, where Canada edged the U.S. for gold, while the men鈥檚 teams received $1.8 million over the same quadrennial.
OTP directed $4 million during the Beijing quad to the all-male para hockey team that earned silver.
The women hope they won鈥檛 pay a disproportionate price for the actions of others under the Hockey Canada umbrella.
鈥淎ctions have consequences and people are held accountable for those actions, but what I know is the women鈥檚 hockey culture that we鈥檝e created, and it鈥檚 taken a lot of work, is a safe environment,鈥� defender Jocelyne Larocque said. 鈥淚 think Canadians that follow us know that.鈥�
As full-time, high-performance athletes, the women and para hockey athletes receive monthly Sport Canada cheques from the Athletes Assistance Program (AAP) of about $1,800 per month.
Sport Canada has confirmed those cheques will continue.
鈥淭here has been no suspension of funding from the AAP to either the women鈥檚 or Paralympic national team program carded athletes,鈥� a spokeswoman told The Canadian Press in an email.
While Imperial Oil, Scotiabank and TELUS withdrew their sponsorship of the world junior men鈥檚 hockey championship, those companies indicated they will continue to financially support youth programs and women鈥檚 events.
鈥淚 hope the public understands that our women鈥檚 game is healthy, that the culture we鈥檙e talking about doesn鈥檛 quite apply on our side,鈥� Kingsbury said.
鈥淲e鈥檙e proud of the culture and environment we鈥檙e building, we鈥檙e proud of the program that we have, we鈥檙e proud of the people that are a part of that program, from top to bottom.鈥�
鈥� Donna Spencer, The Canadian Press
