Canada strike ends after federation threatened players with legal action

The Canada women’s national team will participate in the upcoming SheBelieves Cup by order of Canada Soccer.

The Canadian Soccer Players Association, which represents the women’s national team players as a collective, released a statement on Saturday explaining that Canada Soccer threatened the group with legal action should they not participate accordingly in the international tournament. 

The national team players previously took a stand to protest budget cuts during a World Cup year  and a lack of equal pay by opposing training sessions and failing to take the field. 

“The Canadian women’s national soccer team is both outraged and deeply concerned with the news of significant cuts to the national team programs for 2023,” began the players’ statement.

“Our preparation for the World Cup and the future success of the women’s national team program are being compromised by Canada Soccer’s continued inability to support its national teams. Despite our strong track record of success and history-making achievements for more than a decade, we continue to be told there is not enough money to adequately fund our program and our youth teams.”

“We will not be taking part in any activities going forward,” added veteran Janine Beckie. 

But Canada Soccer refuted the “unlawful strike” and threatened the Players’ Association and individual figures with extensive lawsuits to ensure their participation in the SheBelieves Cup. 

“Representatives of the Players’ Association met with Canada Soccer this afternoon for an hours-long meeting in which the concerns of the players were discussed in detail. Prior to that meeting, Canada Soccer told us that they consider our job action to be an unlawful strike” read the statement from the Players’ Association.

“They told us that if we do not return to work — and did not commit today to playing in Thursday’s game against the United States — they would not only take legal action to force us back to the pitch but would consider taking steps to collect what could be millions of dollars in damages from our Players’ Association and from each of the individual players currently in camp. 

“As individual players who have received no compensation yet for any of our work for Canada Soccer in 2022, we cannot afford the risks that personal action against us by Canada Soccer will create. Because of this, we have advised Canada Soccer that we will return to training tomorrow and will play in the SheBelieves Cup as scheduled.”

The team has returned to training. 

“We are being forced back to work for the short term,” said Christine Sinclair on her Twitter account. “This is not over. We will continue to fight for everything we deserve and we will win. The [SheBelieves Cup] is being played in protest.

Canada Soccer responded to the comments made by veteran players and the Players’ Association, reaffirming that the organization hopes to reach a “comprehensive collective agreement" before citing Ontario labor laws as reason for threatening legal action. 

“Canada Soccer has also seen the comments from the CSPA about ‘forcing’ the players back to work. Canada Soccer respects the players’ right to organize. The players, while having taken job action, were not and are not in a legal strike position under Ontario labor law,” read the federation’s statement.

Per Canada Soccer, the federation has “heard the women’s national team players and has committed to a path to addressing each of the demands made by the players,” and reiterated its claims that they plan to reach a “comprehensive collective agreement with both of the player associations of the women’s and Men’s national teams.”

“That agreement, once concluded, will be an historic deal that will deliver real change and pay equity in Canada Soccer.”

Canada will kick off the SheBelieves Cup against the United States on Thursday, February 16 at Exploria Stadium in Orlando, Florida.