Minister of Sport and Minister responsible for the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec Pascale St-Onge arrives to a cabinet meeting on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Tuesday, May 2, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick
OTTAWA – Canada’s sport minister says the federal government is looking at the tools it can use to investigate Canada Soccer, including the potential for an audit of the organization’s finances.
Pascale St-Onge says a decision on whether an audit will take place will be announced when the government is ready.
The government previously ordered an audit in to Hockey Canada to investigate whether public funds were used to settle sexual assault cases.
The move comes after testimony from several former Canada Soccer presidents and players to the Standing Committee on Heritage investigating safe sport.
Former Canada Soccer president Earl Cochrane testified to the committee defending a business deal that allows Canada Soccer Business, an independent entity, to oversee and retain funds from the marketing and broadcasting rights of the national teams in exchange for an annual payment to the soccer body.
Canada’s women’s soccer captain Christine Sinclair also delivered a scathing indictment of Canada Soccer before the committee in March citing a “culture of secrecy and obstruction.”
She also spoke of the preference given to the men’s national team despite the women’s team being more successful in recent years.
This report was first published by The Canadian Press on May 2, 2023.
