Today: October 4, 2022

Today: October 4, 2022

By Andrew Thomson | UPDATED October 4, 2022 4:40pmET

PM in Nova Scotia to announce $300-million Hurricane Fiona recovery fund

The Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA) will administer a $300-million, two-year Hurricane Fiona recovery fund, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced today in Dartmouth, N.S.

Watch the full news conference:

Watch Ginette Petitpas Taylor, the minister responsible for ACOA, on PrimeTime Politics with Michael Serapio for questions on the aid program and Nova Scotia's request for more soldiers to help with the recovery:

And, some Conservative reaction:

In Committee: Current and former Hockey Canada chairs face questions about handling of sexual assault allegations, financial practices

Andrea Skinner, the interim chair of Hockey Canada, faced questions and criticism from MPs on the heritage committee -- along with Michael Brind'Amour, who resigned as chair in August amid the scandal over the handling of sexual assault allegations involving national junior team members. WATCH THE HEARING

Skinner's opening statement included a statement of confidence in the current Hockey Canada senior management team, including president and CEO Scott Smith. Sher also called recent reporting on Hockey Canada financial practices a mischaracterization. 

But Conservative MP John Nater accused Hockey Canada of seeking to shift public perceptions rather than affect meaningful change. Other MPs slammed the organization for continuing to avoid financial transparency.

Watch more reaction from MPs:

Sport Minister Pascale St-Onge, who has called for a leadership change, said after today's testimony that she has no hope in Hockey Canada's capacity to renew from within. 

"There is a real discrepancy between what we’re from Canadians, from hockey parents about the management at Hockey Canada, and their own perception of their management.," St-Onge told reporters on Parliament Hill.

St-Onge also announced the government agreed with an NDP request to audit public funding of Hockey Canada going back to 2016. 

Hockey Canada's Smith told the committee in July that he understood the governing body for Canada's national sport had lost the trust of Canadians and was prepared to take responsibility for improving accountability, transparency, and hockey culture.

That summer testimony came as MPs also heard about Hockey Canada's National Equity Fund (funded in party by player membership fees) to pay nine sexual abuse settlements totaling $7.6 million since the 1980s, most relating to former junior coach Graham James.

Hockey Canada has also paid $1.3 million for 12 uninsured settlements over the past 25 years.

The scandal surrounding Hockey Canada's handling of sexual assault allegations involving unidentified members of the 2018 national men's junior team has rocked the organization and led sponsors and the federal government to freeze funding. 

And this summer's committee testimony also came amid the disclosure of separate sexual assault allegations involving the 2003 Canadian junior team. 

Smith told MPs the incident was reported to Sport Canada and an independent investigator hired after the organization learned of the allegations in July. 

As for the 2018 probe, the lawyer hired four years ago to conduct an independent investigation of the 2018 allegations, testified in July that the probe had restarted with player participation mandatory under threat of a future ban from Hockey Canada activities.

London, Ont. Police are also reviewing their investigation, which did not result in charges.

Skinner and Brind'Amour also defended the board's quick authorization of a settlement over the 2018 allegations – and why those board discussions were held in camera without recorded minutes. 

Both said the decision was to be responsible and respectful, and to avoid subjecting the complainant to a public court process. 

Also on the committee agenda:

  • House Speaker Anthony Rota, MPs, and House of Commons senior officials go before the procedure committee, which is considering the future of hybrid proceedings. 11am ET / 8am PT
  • Richard Fadden, a former deputy defence minister, CSIS director, and national security advisor to the prime minister, goes before the Standing Committee on National Defence for discussion of domestic military deployments. Also appearing: Canadian Red Cross president and CEO Conrad Sauvé. 11am ET / 8am PT
  • Public Safety Commissioner Marco Mendicino goes before the public safety committee on the government's firearms bill (C-21). 3:30pm ET / 12:30pm PT
  • Federal officials brief the Special Committee on Canada-China Relations. 6:30pm ET / 3:30pm PT

In the House

Watch question period:

MPs vote on a Conservative concurrence motion for a foreign affairs committee report on referendums in Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine.

The report simply states:

That the committee condemns any attempts to hold referendums in Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine; any such referendums have no legitimacy, the committee maintains its belief that Ukrainian national boundaries recognized at the time of the Budapest Memorandum remain Ukraine’s national boundaries today, and the committee report this motion to the House.

Also:

  • Federal environment commissioner Jerry DeMarco has tabled his fall reports, including assessments of the federal management of radioactive waste, species at risk, and sustainable development. 
  • Bill S-227 arrives in the House of Commons. The Senate legislation would establish an annual "Food Day in Canada" on the Saturday before the first Monday in August. 

WATCH: Federal environment commissioner Jerry DeMarco

WATCH: NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh

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