A new report has declared Canada's sports system "broken, fragmented, and unsustainable," triggering calls for immediate and comprehensive reforms. The Future of Sport in Canada Commission, led by former Ontario Chief Justice Lise Maisonneuve, released its findings on Tuesday, outlining significant issues from the grassroots level to high-performance programs. The commission's mandate, initiated in December 2023 by then-federal sports minister Carla Qualtrough, was to address safety and improve the overall system.
The report details how years of underfunding, along with a lack of unified leadership, have created a system where abuse and maltreatment can occur. Maisonneuve stated the commission heard from over 1,000 individuals, including 175 survivors of abuse, describing their experiences as "heart-wrenching". The commission issued 98 "calls to action" for changes to be implemented over the next five years. These include consolidating leadership under a single entity, increasing funding for both high-performance and community sports, and fostering greater collaboration between federal, provincial, and territorial governments to ensure athlete safety.
Federal leadership in sports has seen eight changes in the past 15 years. The report suggests a centralized sports entity be established as a Crown corporation, independent of political pressures, to oversee Canadian sports. Sport currently falls under both the Heritage and Health portfolios. Secretary of Sport Adam van Koeverden acknowledged the report's findings, stating the government will review the recommendations and take action to strengthen safe sport practices across all levels.
The Canadian Olympic and Paralympic committees have been advocating for a $144 million increase in core funding to national sport organizations, which they say has been stagnant since 2005. The federal government currently invests over $250 million annually in sports. The commission's report emphasizes that "an underfunded sports system is an unsafe sports system," and highlights the need for increased investment in community-level sports to promote access and inclusion.
