Since 2022, Russia has engaged in a full-scale war of  conquest in Ukraine. It has targeted civilian life, bombing homes, health care and education facilities and critical infrastructure such as power plants. The UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry reported that it had verified the deportation or transfer of more than 1,200 children in documented cases from occupied Ukraine to Russia; the International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for Vladimir Putin.  

Russia has also repeatedly integrated sporting organizations and teams from occupied Ukrainian territories into its own sporting structures. In October 2023, the International Olympic Committee ruled that the Russian Olympic Committee had violated the Olympic Charter by incorporating sports organizations from occupied Ukrainian territories. As recently as November 2026, a hockey team from occupied Luhansk was reported to have entered a Russian Ice Hockey Federation competition.

In addition to these appalling actions in Ukraine, Russia's actions in the region outside Ukraine - drones and fighter jets breaching sovereign airspace in Estonia, Poland, Finland and Lithuania. Russia has also been linked by European authorities to suspected sabotage operations, including incendiary parcel attacks and other acts targeting critical infrastructure and logistics networks. This is a humanitarian crisis that threatens to destabilize peace across Europe. 

For this to change, international pressure must be brought to bear on Russia. We know that the Russian Federation uses sports as a powerful tool of propaganda, and hockey is an important sport in Russia, and a favourite of President Vladimir Putin.

Russia's potential return to international ice hockey raises important questions about the role of sport in the face of aggression, violations of international law and threats to international security.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport's October 30, 2026 ruling concerning Russian participation in IIHF competitions makes this issue particularly urgent. While the IIHF has expressed its disagreement with the ruling, the decision creates an immediate challenge for the international hockey community, including Hockey Canada.

As one of the world's leading national hockey organizations, Hockey Canada has both an opportunity and a responsibility to make its position clear. We believe that participation in international hockey should not be treated as separate from the broader principles of peace, respect for sovereignty and international responsibility.

We are calling on Hockey Canada to refuse to play any games against Russian teams at any level until its military has fully withdrawn from all Ukrainian territory. We recognize that there is a risk of consequences of this action, but as important as hockey is to Canada, peace and global security matter more. 

Please sign this petition and help make a real difference for peace and justice in the world.