Kennedy honoured for ‘courage’
Former NHLer appointed to Order of Canada for raising awareness about sexual abuse
“I haven’t been doing this work for the awards, but I must say I am very humbled.” SHELDON KENNEDY ORDER OF CANADA RECIPIENT
Looking back on the early days of his career in the NHL, Sheldon Kennedy figures he would have been the last person to receive the Order of Canada.
“I was addicted to drugs and alcohol because of trying to hide the pain of what was going on,” Kennedy says of the sexual abuse he suffered at the hands of a hockey coach.
For his “courageous leadership in raising awareness of childhood sexual abuse,” Kennedy was among 95 new appointments to the Order of Canada announced Boxing Day by Gov. Gen. David Johnston.
“I was a little taken aback,” Kennedy said after learning he was on the list to receive one of the country’s highest civilian honours.
“I haven’t been doing this work for the awards, but I must say I am very humbled personally, but yet very grateful that the issues that I represent have been acknowledged at such a great level.” Toronto-born philanthropist James Fleck and Richard Pound, former president of the World AntiDoping Agency, were promoted to Companion of the Order, its highest rank.
Donald McRae, an international trade law scholar, was also named a Companion of the Order.
Former Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney, who is now the governor of the Bank of England, Peter Milliken, longtime House of Commons Speaker, and Toronto surgeon Shaf Keshavjee were all named officers of the order.
Former Toronto Star science reporter Peter Calamai was recognized “for his achievements as a science journalist and for his contribution to the cause of literacy.”
Also recognized as members of the order for varied contributions: Bill Graham, former defence minister and interim Liberal leader, early learning educator Charles Pascal, and George Cope, president and CEO of Bell Canada, “for his leadership in corporate social responsibility, particularly in the area of mental health.”
“It’s an honour to lead the team that is transforming Canadian communications, and the conversation about Canada’s mental health,” Cope said in an emailed statement.
Radio mogul Gary Slaight, music power couple Chantal Kreviazuk and Raine Maida, literary journalist Charles Foran, TV pioneer A. Gordon Craig, and Conrad Daellenbach, founder of the renowned Canadian Brass, were also appointed members.
Established in 1967, the Order of Canada recognizes “outstanding achievement, dedication to the community and service to the country.” More than 6,000 people have been invested into the order over the past 45 years.
Earlier this week, Kennedy reflect- ed on his journey from the ice to becoming Canadian Press’s 1997 Newsmaker of the Year after revealing he had been sexually abused as a teen by Graham James, a highly respected junior hockey coach. James was sentenced to three and a half years in prison for sexually assaulting Kennedy and another unidentified player.
Last year, Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced the official naming of the Sheldon Kennedy Child Advocacy Centre, a 30,000-squarefoot, one-stop agency that helps young victims and families affected by child abuse.
The pioneering centre has 145 people from seven different government organizations, including members of the Calgary police child abuse unit. Working together in one location minimizes the requirement for child abuse victims to tell their story over and over again.
“The systems have to talk to each other, in the best interest of the child,” Kennedy says. “Our whole goal is how do we, instead of the family wrapping around the systems, how do we have the systems wrap around the family.” The centre also helps victims heal beyond the abuse.
In its first 16 months of operations, the centre assessed almost 2,000 infants, children and youth. The majority, 72 per cent, were assessed for sexual abuse — the root cause of addiction and mental health issues.
“We have an opportunity to turn their lives around here before they end up on the street, before they end up in our prisons, or before they end up dead . . . It’s all about early intervention,” Kennedy said.
Kennedy was on the line from the centre in Calgary, where he volunteers up to five days a week.
His full-time job is running the Respect Group, a company he cofounded in 2004. It offers a variety of workplace bullying, harassment and sexual abuse training programs for professionals in sectors ranging from teachers and school bus drivers to hockey coaches.
This weekend, Kennedy is getting his “chip” to mark 10 years of sobriety. “I feel very blessed today,” he says.
After years of hating hockey, Kennedy says he now enjoys lacing up his skates.
“One of the biggest resentments that I needed to deal with was my childhood was stolen, and the love of the game, I wished I could have been able to play the game the way I feel today,” he says.
Order of Canada recipients will be invited to accept their insignia during a ceremony held at a later date.