A biracial teen and his mother will file a complaint against Hockey Quebec with the province’s Human Rights and Youth Rights Commission following an incident during a hockey game last December. They believe that Hockey Quebec is not doing enough to combat anti-Black racism against junior players.
The first time the n-word was allegedly used toward 16-year-old Aiden Chase was last November.
“He thankfully didn’t hear it himself, but his teammates did and they notified the referees,” said his mother Laurie Philipps. “Because the referees didn’t hear it, nothing was done about it,” she added.
A month later, it allegedly happened again against the same team, resulting in a fight on the ice involving players and coaches. Following that incident, an investigation was conducted that resulted in an eight-game suspension for the player who allegedly used the slur.
“The player then appealed his suspension and it was on the claim that he did not say it,” said Philipps. “So Aiden was asked to be on a hearing and my attendance as well.”
During the online hearing in January, the n-word was used two more times while a witness described the incident.
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“The first time it was said, it was like nothing,” said Aiden Chase.
“Nobody had said anything and then it was repeated again. That’s when my mom had decided to say something because nobody from the board said anything,” added Chase.
Following the hearing, the player’s suspension was reduced to five games. Completely unsatisfied with how the board handled the incident and the disciplinary hearing, both Chase and his mother wrote letters to Hockey Quebec hoping more action would be taken.
“The reply we got back was still not sufficient,” said Philipps. “That’s what led us to where we are,” she added.
The Centre for Research Action on Race Relations (CRARR) will now help Chase and his mother file a formal complaint with the Human Rights and Youth Rights Commission against Hockey Quebec in hopes the organization will recognize the need for systemic change.
“We will outline where all the flaws are and what kind of remedies that we want,” said CRARR Executive Director Fo Niemi.
“We want clear policy, mandatory training, more diversity throughout the entire organization and structure and, more importantly, revamp their complaints handling mechanisms and procedures,” added Niemi, who said this is not an isolated incident. Several families who have allegedly faced similar interactions involving racial slurs have come forward in recent months.
“Hopefully if Hockey Quebec is, shall we say, sensitive and is reasonable, we can come up with some sort of settlement,” said Niemi.
For Aiden Chase, he says he hopes other families won’t have to face the same discrimination he has.
“We really want ways to support future players who might end up going through a similar thing,” said Chase.
In an email to Global News, Hockey Quebec would not comment on the specific case but says all board members and employees have participated in racial sensitivity training implemented last November.
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