A Message from the Commissioner on the start of the Commission’s work — The Future of Sport in Canada Commission

August 14, 2024

Sport plays a critical role in the fabric of Canadian life. From community playgrounds, cheering our favourite teams or watching Team Canada at the Olympics, sport brings all Canadians together in many important ways. Sport is part of the culture of Canada and can shape lives and help build resilient and strong communities.

However, with insufficient safeguards and accountability, sport can also do harm. Recent revelations by victims, survivors, and advocates who have courageously shared their experiences have shocked our nation and brought to light systemic maltreatment that occurs at all levels and contexts of sport. These revelations have compelled an important examination of sporting life and culture in Canada.

I am honoured to be appointed the Commissioner of The Future of Sport in Canada Commission, with the invaluable assistance of two expert Special Advisors: Dr. Andrew Pipe and Ms. Noni Classen. The Commission was provided with important and ambitious Terms of Reference. Together, we are committed to recommending measures to improve safe sport and the sport system in Canada.

The Commission seeks to understand how and why the current sport systems have failed to provide a safe environment for those who participate in sport in Canada and how those systems can be corrected. It will operate under guiding principles which are victim- and survivor-centred and trauma-informed and prioritize collaboration, transparency, independence and forward-looking.

Through a trauma-informed approach, the Commission is seeking to learn from those whose experiences have revealed inadequacies in Canadian sport structures – and from others with experience and perspectives that contribute to the necessary reforms across the breadth of the sport community.

The Commission’s mandate and timeline are ambitious. Over the coming months, the Commission will consult with a wide range of those within and outside the world of sport, including victims and survivors, experts, academics, parents and coaches with an aim to:

• bring to light the experiences, causes, and impacts of inappropriate behaviour and maltreatment, but more importantly
• determine how to improve the sport system in Canada including but not limited to issues related to policy, funding structures, governance, reporting, accountability, conflicts of interest, culture, and legal considerations

The Commission is working hard to develop meaningful recommendations applicable to all Canadians and across all sports. Further details about the Commission’s work, including how you can participate in the Commission’s consultations and provide your views, will be available on this website.

Working together, I am confident the Commission will produce recommendations that bring forth meaningful, lasting and positive change for all Canadians and Canadian sport.