Scotiabank chose Tuesday to suspend its sponsorship of Hockey Canada, the federation being at the heart of an alleged case of sexual assault which it would have concealed by an out-of-court settlement with the alleged victim.

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• Read also: Hockey Canada in the penalty box

Consequently, Scotiabank's name will not be announced during the upcoming World Junior Championships in August or during activities parallel to this event.

The financial amount initially earmarked for this purpose will instead be donated to an aid fund supporting access to hockey for all as well as to the Women's World Championship. A donation will also be made to the Canadian Women's Foundation, an organization supporting women victims of violence.

In a press release posted on Twitter in the morning, the president and chief executive of the financial institution, Brian Porter, said he expected to see the organization concerned take the necessary steps to ensure that its players, employees and other individuals working for it respect others, while promoting an improved corporate culture.

Increased collaboration with the federal government and its entities is also requested.

“Like many of you, I felt challenged by recent reports of an alleged assault involving young ambassadors for our sport in Canada.

"This behavior is contrary to the values ​​and beliefs that hockey represents, as well as those that we encourage at Scotiabank," he said.

"As hockey fans and sponsors, we believe we have a responsibility to contribute to positive change in the sport," he continued. We are committed to ensuring hockey is accessible, inclusive and safe.

"It means making people and organizations like Hockey Canada accountable the same way Scotiabank is to its customers, employees, partners and community members."

Not convincing at all

Earlier this month, the leaders of the national federation presented their version of the facts to a parliamentary committee of Canadian Heritage and their arguments convinced few people.

The case at the root of the turmoil is a sexual assault that a woman allegedly suffered from eight members of the Junior Team Canada in June 2018, on the sidelines of a gala in London.

The Minister of Sports, Pascale St-Onge, said she was not impressed by the comments of the representatives on the committee and suspended the financing granted to the organization until certain conditions are met, in particular membership in the Bureau of the Sports Integrity Commissioner and the production of a report detailing the means undertaken to implement the measures required by the federal authorities.