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Marcel Aubut resigns amidst sexual harassment scandal, COC investigation goes on

andrew bucholtz

The sexual harassment investigation of Canadian Olympic Committee president Marcel Aubut snowballed quickly this week, with Wednesday night's news that he was being investigated for comments towards one woman and stepping down while the investigation proceeded (a rare move in the sports world), Thursday's news that two further women had come forward with complaints against him, and Saturday's news that Aubut has officially resigned his post.  The Canadian Olympic Committee has accepted his resignation, but says they're going to continue investigating his actions, a vital step to both analyze exactly what happened here and hopefully find ways to prevent it from reoccurring.

Aubut's exit is a big change for the COC, as he'd been a member of the committee since 2000 and officially assumed the presidency in 2010, so he's played a significant role in shaping Canada's current approach to the Olympics. However, his resignation's the best possible news for the organization at this time. This scandal still could significantly damage the COC's reputation, especially if there are further accusers out there, but at least the figure at the centre of it's no longer running the organization.

This resignation is an abrupt change, considering that Aubut initially dismissed the first accusations and said he'd be back at the helm soon. Here's his statement from Wednesday night:

"Mr. Marcel Aubut has learned of allegations concerning remarks he allegedly made to a colleague. He has offered his unconditional support to those responsible for investigating the remarks attributed to him and setting the record straight. This is a normal process that should be completed by mid-October."

So, what changed? The additional figures who came forward Thursday may have had a significant impact, as their stories both reinforced that this wasn't a one-time incident and contained disturbing details. (The initial complaint may well have had those details too, but its contents haven't been published; all that's emerged from it is that it concerned unspecified remarks Aubut made to an employee of the Canadian Olympic Foundation.)  One of those additional complainants, Canadian Soccer Association board member Amelia Salehabadi-Fouques, told various French-language media Aubut harassed her on three separate occasions, kissing her against her will, trying to get into her hotel room, and asking in front of her son why they hadn't slept together yet. The other complainant worked with Aubut at a law firm in Montreal in 2011; she spoke to TVA anonymously and told them Aubut "would put his hands around her waist and that they would go progressively lower each time, and that he would put his hands on her shoulders and then touch her breasts." Those allegations haven't been proven, but they're highly concerning, and it's notable that they both involve a physical dimension as well as the verbal one alleged in the first complaint. They deserve further examination, and it sounds like the COC is going to continue an independent investigation of those claims and any additional ones that come out:

The COC had retained a former chief justice of the Quebec Superior Court, Francois Rolland, to investigate the initial complaint. On Friday, the organization launched a second investigation to examine any further complaints about Aubut that are brought to its attention.

Rolland's initial investigation has ended in the wake of Aubut's resignation as the complainant no longer wants to pursue it. However, the COC is still looking for an independent third party to lead its second, ongoing investigation.

"We would like to thank the complainant for their incredible courage in coming forward," said the COC's statement. "The independent third party process investigating any other complaints will continue uninterrupted. We hope that anyone who has concerns will contact us."

That's a smart move, and a necessary one. Aubut's resignation means the immediate problem is dealt with, but there still needs to be a full investigation into what happened here on several fronts; what exactly he did and why it didn't come out until now. As part of this investigation, the COC should examine its harassment-reporting procedures and see if there are other ways to encourage complainants to come forward without fear of retribution. Salehabadi-Fouques told Le Journal de Montréal she told colleagues, but they discouraged her from going after a powerful COC executive like Aubut. That's sad to hear, and it shouldn't be the case. The investigation into Aubut's actions needs to continue, but it should look at just not what happened in the past, but how to prevent anything similar in the future. These developments may hurt popular faith in the COC, and if that's to be regained, significant action will have to be taken beyond just parting ways with Aubut.