Several minutes of a public hearing were censored by a House of Commons committee. According to Blacklock's Reporter, MPs erased a 26-minute portion of video recordings in which a witness divulged details of a sex crime..“This testimony has been deleted,” wrote the Commons Standing Committee on the Status of Women. Transcripts and recordings of the hearing were destroyed January 30..Conservative MP Karen Vecchio (Elgin-Middlesex, ON), chair of the committee, did not comment. The clerk also declined to explain the censoring of the record..The deleted testimony came at a December 12 hearing on women in sport. Olympian Waneek Horn-Miller of Ottawa testified by committee invitation on her experience with Sport Canada. Horn-Miller in 2000 was co-captain of the first Canadian women’s water polo team to compete in the Olympics..All of Horn-Miller’s testimony was deleted. All videotaped images of Horn-Miller were erased. No reason was given. She did not comment when contacted by Blacklock's Reporter yesterday..Horn-Miller testified she knew of one coach who “had sexual relations with a 15-year old,” an offence under the Criminal Code. She identified the victim. The same coach “spread herpes to other players and we heard about it,” she added..Horn-Miller accused another coach of criminal misconduct and identified his employer. Neither man was named..“There is one particular coach whom I do believe should be charged,” said Horn-Miller. “However as we all know victims coming out and testifying after many years, I wouldn’t wish that on anybody.”.Censorship of committee testimony at public hearings is rare. Witnesses at parliamentary committees cannot be criminally charged or sued for their testimony, according to a House Of Commons Procedure And Practice guide..“Testimony before a parliamentary committee is protected by parliamentary privilege,” the guide states. “This means that witnesses enjoy the same freedom of speech and immunity from prosecution or civil liability as do members of Parliament. However this immunity does not apply if the same testimony is repeated publicly outside a parliamentary meeting.”.Horn-Miller did not repeat her allegations outside the hearing room. Scant media coverage of her testimony made no mention that Horn-Miller identified a player she believed was the victim of sexual assault..“I made the senior team when I was 19,” said Horn-Miller. “I was going in to a world of elite sport where the abuse that took place was well known and the coaches held the power. The rumours that existed were about sexual abuse and verbal abuse.”.“As a high performance athlete in the sports system in Canada you have a dream of becoming an Olympian and you are extraordinarily vulnerable,” said Horn-Miller. “The power is held within the coach’s hand. You will do anything to get your Olympic dream. It is an obsession and that makes you very vulnerable to all kinds of abuse.”.“This country is obsessed with medals,” said Horn-Miller. “It’s like an international pissing contest.”
