Canada’s Minister of Sport Kirsty Duncan says her office is “monitoring” the ongoing dispute between the Canadian Lacrosse Association (CLA) and the National Lacrosse Team Players’ Association (NLTPA) that has jeopardized the country’s chance of attending the 2018 FIL men’s field lacrosse world championships in Israel this summer.
“It’s my understanding there are discussions between the organization and the players and that they are working to figure things out,” Duncan told Global News on Friday. “I’m currently watching the situation. We are monitoring it. I know there are ongoing discussions.”
The CLA broke off communication with the NLTPA, which is seeking a four-year deal for all five national teams. The players said they are looking for better health insurance, removal of participation fees and the CLA taking steps to re-establish its status as a charity with the Canada Revenue Agency.
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The 34 players selected for the senior men’s field team have refused to travel to Netanya, Israel for the Worlds in July without an agreement for all teams.
With the tournament less than two months away, Duncan said she will not intervene as the talks have completely stalled.
“I’m going to wait to see how these discussions progress,” she said.
NLTPA lawyer Richard Furlong told Global News he feels Duncan is ill informed.
“Minister Duncan is not doing a very good job of monitoring the situation as she claims,” he said.
“There are no discussions of any nature ongoing because as of [Friday] afternoon the CLA has again reneged on an agreement to talk.”
Furlong said a CLA representative pledged to him Wednesday to meet in person with the union next week to resume talks.
However, after suggesting dates and times to negotiate, Furlong said the CLA representatives now plan to attend a semi-annual meeting in Halifax instead.
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“For the CLA Board to prioritize flying off to Halifax over meeting to settle this dispute is nothing more than rearranging the deck chairs on the sinking Titanic,” Furlong said.
“The people who really matter in Canadian lacrosse … deserved so much better from the CLA.”
Global News reached out to the CLA for comment but did not receive a response.
Earlier this week, the CLA contacted Canadian university lacrosse programs in hopes of fielding a team outside the NLTPA. This came after CLA brass reached out to replacement athletes, hoping to assemble a roster with no success.
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The CLA has offered to cover all costs and insurance for replacement players. Training camp is set in Ontario between July 6 and 8 before the World’s in Israel, which are scheduled to begin July 12.
Drake Porter, a goalie from Aurora, Ont. playing at Syracuse University, is one of the athletes who declined a spot on Team Canada for the world championships.
“I, and presumably many other players who received this invitation, do not want to undermine the goals of the NLTPA members during this time who are fighting for the rights of future national team players as well as a better CLA,” Porter said in a statement.
Doug Luey, CLA’s director of high performance and international relations, said previously their goal is to send a team to the worlds.
“It is imperative that Canada sends a team to the World Championship in 2018 and the CLA has every intention of sending a team,” Luey said in a statement.
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