WINNIPEG - One of Graham James's most prominent victims says Canada has made great strides in fighting child abuse since he first went public with his story 14 years ago.

But another well-known victim says the way the former junior hockey coach and sexual predator was treated -- even after being convicted -- shows how much more must be done.

Former NHLer Sheldon Kennedy said the conviction of his one-time coach in 1997 for sex crimes -- and a further guilty plea to sex assault charges Wednesday -- helped change the sports landscape.

Organizations across North America, including Penn State university, are now grappling openly with similar allegations of sexual abuse and being forced to confront them, Kennedy said.

"We can look at those as platforms for change," he said. "We have come a long way...I think we will continue to be on the forefront of change around these issues."

He suggested Canada is looked at as an international leader in the investigation and prevention of child abuse -- as evidenced in part by his appearance before a U.S. Senate hearing next week on the issue.

Paul Melia, president of the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport, agrees that Kennedy's exposure of James was a turning point.

Melia said harassment and abuse in sports was a "dirty, dark secret" until then.

"This was something that people didn't talk about as easily and as openly as they should have," he said. "As a result, you unwittingly created a climate where this could happen, because people turned a blind eye or didn't want to ask the questions.

"The victims didn't feel they were in an environment where they could trust anyone to come forward."

Kennedy's story was a "wake-up call," Melia said Thursday.

It's hard for anyone in the hockey world to overstate the impact James has had on the sport and its fans. The sporting world was stunned when he was charged the first time and pleaded guilty to abusing two unnamed players.

There was further shock when it later came out that one of those players, Kennedy, was in the National Hockey League.

James began molesting Kennedy when the boy was 14 during a trip to Winnipeg for a hockey tournament. The abuse haunted Kennedy for years, driving him to drugs, alcohol abuse and suicidal thoughts.

The revelations shook the public's trust and forced sporting organizations to start talking about what had previously been taboo.

Detailed background checks have become routine in hockey and abuse awareness training is mandatory, Melia said. Most organized sports follow the "rule of three" that dictates a young athlete must never be left alone with an adult.

But on the day when former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky was granted bail on another 12 sex abuse charges, it's obvious more work needs to be done, Melia said. Sandusky faces more than 50 charges in total.

"We have to remain very, very vigilant."

Todd Jackson of Hockey Canada said the James case has had a lasting impact. Officials now dig deeper to make sure they know who is entrusted with young players. There are application forms, interviews and reference checks for potential coaches -- as well as criminal background screenings.

"People still put a lot of trust in the people around our kids." Jackson said. "More importantly, parents put a lot of trust in the organizations who put the volunteers out there. It's the responsibility of the organization to ensure that we're showing due diligence."

But retired NHL star Theo Fleury, one of the victims in the latest James convictions, said changes must go beyond the sporting world. He said the amount of time James has spent in jail compared to the damage he's caused shows Canada's legal system needs work.

James was sentenced to 3 1/2 years in jail for the 1997 convictions, but only spent two years behind bars. He was allowed to leave the country and eventually received a pardon. He has been out on bail since the second round of charges last year and will remain free until his sentencing in February.

"What the legal system has shown me is that it's flawed, very, very seriously, and that we have to change," Fleury said after James's guilty pleas Wednesday.

"You just have to throw your hands up in the air and hope the powers that be get together. Change has to happen and change needs to be made."

"What psychology and psychiatry tells us is the urge...to molest is greater than common sense," Fleury said. "It is just unbelievable for me...that he was granted a pardon and then he was allowed to leave the country and go to Mexico.

"He's pleading guilty...but now he gets two more months before they actually put him away again."