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OTTAWA - Many young athletes are turning away from amateur sports because some coaches don't have the skills to curb harassment and violence, says a former NHL hockey player who was sexually abused by a coach.

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KENNEDY

Sheldon Kennedy was on Parliament Hill on Friday to ask the government to fund part of a national online teaching tool called Respect in Sport to help coaches identify and deal with issues of abuse, neglect and bullying.

"It's not just a hockey issue," Kennedy said.

He was in Ottawa to propose a three-way cost sharing plan among the federal and provincial governments, and corporate partners.

The former junior hockey star went public in 1996 with his story of sexual abuse at the hands of his former hockey coach, Graham James, while playing for the Western Hockey League's Swift Current Broncos.

Kennedy said the program wasn't created as a witch hunt to weed out bad coaches, adding the focus is on empowering people to manage young athletes, teams and communities.

He said the annual cost of the program is about $1.60 per coach.

There are about 315,000 coaches in Canada, he said. The plan would cost Ottawa about $500,000 a year, he said.

During question period Friday, NDP MP Pat Martin said Manitoba has been able to train 10,000 amateur coaches using Kennedy's program.

But Conservative MP James Moore refused to commit to the plan, saying Canadian sports groups are well-equipped to address problems at the grassroots level.

"Local amateur sporting organizations can take care of some of these things," he said. "I think local solutions to some of these local problems are where these solutions are best handled."

Groups such as Gymnastics Canada, the American Red Cross, Alberta Baseball and Sport B.C. have signed on to the program.

Jason Dickson, a former Major League Baseball player and the new president of Sport New Brunswick, said the program is worth examining.

"Any resource that can be offered to coaches is just one more layer of protection groups can offer to their volunteers to make sure the right things are being done," he said.

Dickson said harassment, violence, abuse and a lack of respect in sport happens at every level.

"As much as people don't want to acknowledge it, it is very real," he said.

"It's something that was not talked about and it's good that people are talking about it. For as much as we look out for our athletes, it's important to look out for our coaches, too."

He said his organization is willing to look at Kennedy's program to ensure coaches in New Brunswick are receiving the tools they need to provide safe environments to athletes.

Kennedy said with the eyes of the world preparing to descend on Canada for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, now is the time to set a benchmark.