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Status of women committee to meet on reports of maltreatment in Canadian sport

The standing committee on the status of women will meet Monday in Ottawa to discuss maltreatment in sport, and the potential for a judicial investigation similar to the Dubin Inquiry in 1989.

The standing committee on the status of women will meet Monday in Ottawa to discuss maltreatment in sport, and the potential for a judicial investigation similar to the Dubin Inquiry in 1989.

The motion for the public meeting was requested by four members of the committee, and comes amid calls for a federal inquiry from athletes in several embattled Canadian sports.

The heritage committee began investigating Hockey Canada in June after news the national organization settled a lawsuit with a woman who alleged eight members of the 2018 national junior team sexually assaulted her after a Canadian team gala.

Hundreds of athletes have come forward this year to publicly report issues of physical, sexual and psychological abuse, and many, including more than 500 current and retired gymnasts, have been calling on the federal government to conduct an independent investigation into sport.

Most recently, four former members of Canada's women's water polo team filed a $5.5 million lawsuit against Water Polo Canada.

The Dubin Inquiry investigated doping in Canadian sport after the Ben Johnson scandal at the 1988 Seoul Olympics. 

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 29, 2022.

Lori Ewing, The Canadian Press