Liberal, Bloc MPs vote against questioning Canada Soccer officials over drone scandal

OTTAWA — A parliamentary committee will not question the coaches of the national women’s soccer team about the Paris Olympics cheating scandal, after Liberal and Bloc Québécois MPs voted against launching a study on Monday.

The team was penalized during the Olympics this summer for cheating by taking drone footage of an opponent’s practice.

NDP MP Niki Ashton put forward a motion at the House of Commons heritage committee to study what role officials from the team and Canada Soccer played in the scandal.

Ashton wanted to hear from suspended head coach Bev Priestman, former head coach John Herdman, analyst Joseph Lombardi, assistant coach Jasmine Mander and Canada Soccer’s CEO.

Ashton said the scandal damaged Canada’s reputation and there are still questions that need to be answered.

“It’s important for parliamentarians, on behalf of Canadians, to seek some accountability and ensure that we are truly supporting our athletes, especially as we gear up for co-hosting the World Cup in 2026,” she told the committee.

Six MPs from the Bloc and the Liberals voted down the motion, while five MPs from the Conservatives and the NDP voted in favour.

Ashton said in an interview she was very disappointed that the study won’t happen.

“This is a Liberal-Bloc coverup,” she said. “Canadians have a lot of questions about what is happening, how deep this mess goes and what it will take to fix it.”

Ashton said there should not be any lingering questions about Canada’s ethics ahead of the 2026 World Cup.

Sport Minister Carla Qualtrough, who is not on the committee, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Martin Champoux, the Bloc committee vice-chair who voted against the motion, said an emailed statement that there is an independent external review into the scandal.

Canada Soccer announced plans for the review on July 24, and said its outcome will be shared publicly.

“We believe it’s more appropriate to wait for the results of that review before dedicating a committee study to the subject,” Champoux said in French.

Lombardi was arrested in Paris after authorities captured a drone that was spotted flying over New Zealand’s women’s soccer team as they practised three days before they were set to face Canada in the Olympics.

The Canadian team was docked six points in the Olympics group stage by FIFA. Canada Soccer was fined about $313,000, and Priestman, Lombardi and Mander were each suspended for a year.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 21, 2024.

— With files from Mia Rabson

Rosa Saba, The Canadian Press