LEADERSHIP AND TOTAL CONTROL Part III


by Pierre Filion   pierrefilion@bell.net

This week we will look at areas where Lacrosse Canada’s Executive Director has established, in total daylight, his control over those areas.

But first we must remember that every successful Executive Director will always say that he is not there to control everything or anything; he is there to serve. Which makes everything so interesting to look at.

The ED has been outstandingly efficient at taking control over Lacrosse Canada’s finances, Lacrosse Canada’s information and finally at controlling the provinces.

  • The money; show me the money
  • On December 8th 2024 the Board of Directors adopted the 2025-26 budget of 2,426,884$. The meeting lasted 17 minutes! Six Board members were in attendance; three were absent. The adoption of the budget was required in order for Lacrosse Canada to be credible with the members (who had discussed the budget at the AGM) and different national and international partners LC deals with regularly.
  • In practical terms the Board of Directors has given 2,426,884$ to the Executive Director to run the business and deal with the revenues and the expenses. 
  • The Board does not have an elected treasurer who could ascertain the quality and the integrity of the financial operations; everything is left with the Executive Director who will, come this September, have an extended leeway working with a ‘’new’’ president. No treasurer and a rookie president signal total freedom and very little accountability within the Corporation. Run with the money Terry!
  • The best example is the important expense of 1,078,085$ for the National Teams. The members and the Board members have left that money in the hands of the Executive Director without receiving a 2025-26 detailed budget for each National Team concerned by this expense. 44% of the budget expenses are not explained; they’re just laid out as expenses for the National Teams. Someone somewhere has forgotten to ask a few questions. Run with the money Terry.
  • In this domain Terry Rayner has been astute and has shown total control over the Board of Directors and somehow, also, over the members at the AGM. Hey, to be able to run away with 1,078,085$ in money for the National Teams without any form of detailed budget for the Teams is quite extraordinary. No details; just a lump sum to play with, to administer and maybe to report on if ever someone asks! Remember Lacrosse Canada’s values: …’’We operate with integrity and transparency’’. No one here questions LC’s integrity but surely its transparency!
  • Anyone with any expertise in governance would raise a red flag and clearly express embarrassment at this situation.
  • The information

Lacrosse Canada has a web page and a newsletter produced by the Communication coordinator under the Executive Director.

We have often expressed critical opinions concerning the web page but have come to realize that whatever does not positively promote Lacrosse Canada’s image must be censored or simply ignored.

The point is obviously not to promote chaos or mayhem within the Association by reporting or discussing unpleasant facts or failing events; the point is in treating the members and the paying members as adults able to understand and to comprehend that everything needs not to be golden colored for an Association to be credible!

For Lacrosse Canada’s vision to take shape and form there is a need to treat the members as adults. If Lacrosse Canada wants to ‘’cultivate a vibrant and inclusive lacrosse community’” it must put out in the open what works well and what does not. Hiding negative facts or failing events is never a good strategy when one wants to claim transparency and when one wishes for the members to involve themselves in the game with passion, armed with all the information they need to help cultivate a vibrant community.

Terry Rayner’s strategy, at this time, is to change the facts or simply to ignore or hide what might be controversial. 

A few examples will help understand the point

  • In past months and years Lacrosse Canada claimed that the provincial associations represented 85,000 participants; then, when confronted with some facts, it retroactively lowered the number to 60,000; when the suggestion was presented that it simply states the real and verifiable number of members Lacrosse Canada withdrew any reference to the number of participants playing organized lacrosse. This ostrich approach to the facts is troubling but mainly an indication of control over the information.
  • On July 21st and 22nd Lacrosse Canada held, in Oshawa, its first annual international conference for box lacrosse coaches and officials; on May 15th it was promoted as a big endeavor with 22 invited lecturers or speakers, workshops and sessions to help any coach or official in Canada. The reality is that registrations fees were not coming in and the big event was somehow in jeopardy. Lacrosse Canada sent a memo to the provinces on July 4th to inform everyone that ‘’thanks to the generous support of our sponsors registration for this event is now completely free’’. Has anyone ever herd of anonymous last-minute sponsors? And finally, as of July 31th, there has been no report on ‘’the big event’’ on the web page. As if it had never happened. The ‘’big event’’ did not meet with expectations Lacrosse Canada needed to ignore it. Negative facts don’t exist. Everything is fine. Control the information!
  • In its web page Lacrosse Canada claims that it ‘’is committed to transparency and accountability in all areas of governance’’; a section of the web page is produced to inform the members of ‘’the minutes of Board of Directors’ meetings, meetings of committees and working groups because these documents offer insight into the discussions, decisions and direction that guide the growth and development of lacrosse in Canada’’.
  • That is quite inspiring until one looks at what is really presented. As of July 31st, there were NO MINUTES of the 2025 Board of Directors meetings.There are NO MINUTES for any committee or working group meetings in 2025 as if there were never any such meetings. Yet LC’s calendar of events indicates that there are many meetings to be held in 2025. That is not a commitment to transparency. That is also not how a National Association should deal with its members and the public in general. But that is total control over information.

The strategy is defeating the Association’s purpose (‘’a vibrant community’’) and a                    failure to uphold the Association’s values. It’s done in order to keep control over significant information and deprives the members of their ability to be relevantly involved within the National Association. As adults.

  • Control over the provinces

In years past there were always debates over federal and provincial responsibilities in the management of the game. Provinces usually held the big end of the stick and their political influence often left the national association (CLA) without significant resources to play its part in the governance and development of the game. These days the provinces, who are important financial contributors to Lacrosse Canada, seem more interested in promoting national interests than they are in defending their own provincial interests. In some ways Lacrosse Canada is gallantly gaslighting the provinces who, one by one, are falling in line with the new ‘’imposed order’’ in Canada.

  • It started with the now defamed theory that the provinces should be all equal in voting power though highly inequal in their financial and corporate contribution to Lacrosse Canada. This false sense of equality was promoted when the now new ED was interim ED. It was presented as being in accordance with Sport Canada’s plan of governance; this was absolutely false and totally contrary to Lacrosse Canada’s rules of governance; yet it was promoted by LC itself and discretely supported by the ‘’interim ED’’. Lacrosse Canada’s ‘’vision’’ was that the provinces were all equal and thus far easier to control.
  • It is of common knowledge that when mandates or divisions of responsibilities between the federal and provincial orders of governance are not crystal clear that the Feds always invade provincial responsibilities. The argument is always with ‘’the power of the purse’’ or national norms which need to be instituted. This is happening now especially in the area of High Performance where the provinces are being invaded by Lacrosse Canada and somehow stripped of their responsibilities. High Performance is now, across the country, a federal responsibility. Lacrosse Canada is now in control of High Performance without any form of provincial cooperation. ‘’Step aside we’re stepping in’’. And the provinces are falling in line. Total control.
  • When the CLA, in years past, established the sectors in lacrosse the intent was to get the provinces together and, within each sector, and have them draft plans and projects to better govern the game. Many will remember CLA president Bill McBain saying that ‘’the provincial technical people were the experts in the development of the game’’. That has changed because Lacrosse Canada at a September 18th 2024 Board meeting was ‘’concerned’’ that ‘’the sectors were not following LC’s vision and that LC should have a leadership role within each sector’’. Step out we’re stepping in’’. National norms need to be established and sector chairs should see their influence decreased. Lacrosse Canada’s control over the provinces’ influence within the game is being established in broad daylight for everyone to see Somehow the provinces are being railroaded and emasculated. It seems emasculation is not painful when one is sleeping…