Bob Mackin
A federal commission’s March 24 final report called the Canadian sport system “broken” and said the lack of transparency contributed to the abuse of child athletes.
theBreaker.news obtained an embargoed copy of the Future of Sport in Canada Commission’s 952-page report, “Transforming Sport in Canada: Time for Action.”
“Canada’s sport system is at a pivotal point, struggling with fragmentation, inefficiency and a lack of safety, transparency and oversight that has eroded public trust,” said the commission, under former Ontario chief justice Lise Maisonneuve. “Participants are calling for a united, accountable system that prioritizes safety, inclusion, accessibility and strong governance.”
Future of Sport in Canada Commissioner Lise Maisonneuve (Government of Canada)
Abuse and corruption rampant
The commission, established by the Liberal government in May 2024, said it held 600 meetings and met with more than 1,000 people, including 175 victims and survivors of maltreatment and representatives from 270 sport organizations.
Maisonneuve’s final report said sport should be a “place of joy, growth, community, and belonging. But for far too many Canadians, especially young athletes, sport has been an environment marked by abuse and insecurity, where they have not been adequately protected and where no one has been held accountable.”
The commission heard incidents of abuse and maltreatment, including vulnerable children groomed and sexually assaulted by their coaches, racism by other players and spectators, abuse of officials, hazing and cyberbullying, and slander campaigns against whistleblowers.
“But we cannot afford to wait for another front-page story, another complaint or lawsuit, or one more incident, to act. Canadians are demanding action. Sport in Canada is facing a systemic problem and structural flaws that we must address immediately.”
Need more transparency
Calls to action include a mandate for more transparency across the Canadian sport system.
The commission recommended sport organizations be required to publicly post minutes of all board meetings, annual disclosure of public funds received and an annual report about the organization’s activity and progress.
“The Government of Canada [should] regularly and proactively monitor and audit federally funded sport and physical activity organizations, and ensure that the monitoring and auditing procedures are effective, simple, and accessible.”
An independent monitor should be appointed to implement the commission’s calls to action, by providing quarterly updates to the minister responsible and to publish annual public reports.
The commission called on the government to set up a new Crown corporation, generically called the Centralized Sport Entity, to oversee an overhaul in the Canadian sport system. It would be “responsible for the allocation, distribution, and oversight of federal sport and physical activity funding, including the development of a long-term funding strategy.”
Dollars and sense
The report said sport contributed $7.6 billion to Canada’s gross domestic product in 2023 and 27% of Canadian adults reported volunteering for a sport activity. It also helps keep a check on health costs: In 2022, physical inactivity cost the economy $3.9 billion.
The Centralized Sport Entity should bring new standards for safety and transparency, and to “urgently increase core funding for national sport organizations to account for inflation since 2005. Additional funding is needed to support national disability sport, para sport, and Paralympic sport organizations given the additional costs they face to meet the needs of athletes with disabilities.”
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