Government of Canada announces financial support for Swimming Canada

From: Canadian Heritage

News release

GATINEAU, October 28, 2022

The Government of Canada is committed to supporting Canadians from the playground to the podium and to helping the sport community get Canadians active, inspire young people and bring us together in the spirit of healthy competition.

Today, the Honourable Pascale St-Onge, Minister of Sport and Minister responsible for the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec, announced $7,523,136 in funding for Swimming Canada for 2022–23, including $40,000 devoted to safety in sport.

The investment will provide the organization with the financial means to conduct its daily operations, promote the sport of swimming among all Canadians, and support high-performance athletes competing at the national and international levels. This funding to Swimming Canada also includes $250,000 to host the FINA Swimming World Cup in Toronto from October 28 to 30, 2022; and $75,000 to host the 2022 Can Am Para Swimming Open in Vancouver from December 16 to 18, 2022.

The investment in safety in sport is part of the government’s ongoing work with sport organizations to ensure a safe sport environment for athletes across Canada. The annual funding will help national sport organizations meet important governance, accountability and safe sport standards, such as:

  • adhering to the services of the Office of the Sport Integrity Commissioner (OSIC) as their independent third-party mechanism to address allegations of maltreatment;
  • offering mandatory training to athletes, coaches and support staff to prevent and address maltreatment; and
  • integrating the Universal Code of Conduct to Prevent and Address Maltreatment in Sport (UCCMS) into their organizational policies and procedures.

As the single largest investor in Canada’s sport system, the Government of Canada is proud of the investments it makes to support Canadian athletes, the national and multisport organizations that support them, and the hosting of international sport events.

Quotes

“As the Minister of Sport, I am proud to support our national sports associations in their efforts to better serve their athletes and participants, and to make their sport safer. Our funding of more than $7.5 million gives Swimming Canada tools to offer safer training environments for all, better means to support high-performing athletes and conduct daily operations. All Canadians benefit when our athletes have more opportunities to compete at a world-class level and showcase their skills on the world stage. The FINA Swimming World Cup and the 2022 Can Am Para Swimming Open will do just that and inspire young people to strive for greatness and stay active.”

—The Honourable Pascale St-Onge, Minister of Sport and Minister responsible for the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec

“It is an honour to attend the 2022 FINA Swimming World Cup in my home of Scarborough–Rouge Park. Thank you to Swimming Canada for having me and organizing this event. It is through your hard work and dedication that we are best able to support our young and aspiring Canadian athletes. Good luck to all the athletes competing this weekend!”

—Gary Anandasangaree, Member of Parliament (Scarborough–Rouge Park)

“We are excited for some of the world’s best swimmers to come to Toronto as Canada hosts the FINA Swimming World Cup for the first time since 2001 in Edmonton. After the difficulties we’ve all faced throughout the pandemic, events like these are an opportunity to come together to celebrate sport. We are looking forward to some great swimming by amazing athletes coming to Toronto from all over the world and we would like to express our sincere thanks to the Government of Canada for their support.”

—Ahmed El-Awadi, Chief Executive Officer of Swimming Canada

Quick facts

  • Swimming Canada is the official governing organization for the sport of swimming in Canada. The organization supports over 76,000 registrants.

  • Funding to national sport organizations mostly comes from Sport Canada’s Sport Support Program. A portion of this year’s investment came from the Recovery Fund for Arts, Culture, Heritage and Sport Sectors, which leveraged existing programs to provide $300 million over two years to organizations recovering from the impacts of the pandemic. The funding to host the FINA Swimming World Cup and the 2022 Can Am Para Swimming Open was made through Sport Canada’s Hosting program.

  • To be eligible for funding, all sport organizations must have a policy on harassment, abuse and discrimination; offer mandatory training on those issues; and provide access to an independent third-party to receive and manage complaints. It will gradually become mandatory for federally funded organizations to use the services of the Office of the Sport Integrity Commissioner as their independent third-party mechanism.

    Effective April 1, 2023, Sport Canada will change contribution agreements with organizations that meet the new eligibility requirements of the Sport Funding Framework. The goal is to ensure that sport organizations receiving federal funding meet specific governance, accountability and safe sport standards.

  • The Office of the Sport Integrity Commissioner is responsible for administering the Universal Code of Conduct to Prevent and Address Maltreatment in Sport using trauma-informed processes that are compassionate, efficient and provide fairness, respect and equity to all parties involved.

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Contacts

For more information (media only), please contact:

Ariane Joazard-Bélizaire
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Sport and Minister responsible for the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec
ariane.joazard-belizaire@pch.gc.ca

Media Relations
Canadian Heritage
1-819-994-9101
1-866-569-6155
media@pch.gc.ca

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