To Mend The Shredded Fabric Of Canadian Sport, Canada Needs An Independent Standards Commission
From the hockey, gymnastics and football sectors, among others, the news is littered with reports of abusive behavior, funding issues, lack of transparency and accountability, boards failing in their fiduciary duties, medal-hunting decisions, capacity issues and resource mismanagement.
Recent announcements by Federal Sports Minister Pascale St-Onge are encouraging, but changes are also needed at provincial and local levels. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
The new measures recently announced by Federal Sports Minister Pascale St-Onge are positive steps. By 2025, all federally funded national sports organizations must adopt the governance principles of the Canadian Sport Governance Code, including having an athlete representative on their board of directors. Sport Canada is also to set up a compliance unit to hold national sports organizations to account in these aspects.
However, the problems facing Canadian sport are multi-faceted and multi-level. Most problems occur at the local level. And while changes are needed at the national level, they are equally needed at the local, provincial, and territorial levels.
(Mis)leadership, medal hunt and public distrust
Canada’s sports system is complex and involves numerous organizations, federations and governing bodies at the national, provincial or territorial and municipal levels. This complexity has led to confusion, duplication, resource constraints and a lack of accountability.
There is a lack of transparency and consistency in decision-making, which can lead to injustice and favouritism. Winning and losing medals is a part of any sport. But the federal government and national sports federations have prioritized medals over participation in sports throughout the lifespan.
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The third edition of Canada’s Sport Policy, to be published later this year, should address this by presenting lifelong sport as a key context and area of focus for stakeholders in Canada’s sport system. It remains to be seen, however, whether lifelong sport will be unpredictable in this new 10-year policy. Regardless, the system’s focus on medals has resulted in certain sports or athletes being overemphasized while others are neglected.
Jeremy Luke (center left), president of the Canadian Center for Ethics in Sport, Anne Merklinger, executive director of Own the Podium, and Sylvain Croteau, executive director of Sport’Aide, testify before a House of Commons Heritage Committee in Ottawa May 15, 2023 on . THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick
Unfortunately, local sports initiatives have not been funded as well as national efforts. And this despite the fact that there are more people doing sports locally. Recreational sport is also crucial for the development of future professional athletes and for an active, healthy lifestyle.
public trust
The recent numerous scandals in Canadian sports have undermined public confidence. While we’ve heard from the federal government, provincial, territorial and local governments have remained relatively quiet. Why is that when most Canadians interact with sports at a local level?
Solutions must meet local needs and realities. And that in all sports and at all levels of performance.
The new governance oversights announced by the Minister for Sport are a step in the right direction, but as we have seen, self-auditing sport organizations result in an assessment of policy on paper rather than actual practice.
Independent standardization committee
There are established standards that are also set and maintained in other sectors. Organizations such as the Canadian Standards Association approve sport equipment. In workplaces, many organizations are ISO certified. In industries where health and safety is a critical issue, there are formalized committees and a culture of safety.
There are also standardization associations and independent testing groups in other sectors – so why not in sports too? Sport in Canada requires an independent standards body, made up of experts from a variety of fields, including sport, to set and enforce standards for organizations and individuals throughout the sport system.
The standards would cover areas such as governance, ethics, transparency and accountability. The Commission would have the power to impose consequences such as fines, suspensions, disqualifications or even lifetime bans for violations or substandard conduct.
A commission with the power to hold organizations and individuals to account could ensure that everyone involved in the sport system is held to the highest standards of integrity and professionalism.
A key aspect of this independent standards committee is that it integrates safety and due diligence into everyone’s work. The Commission’s standards would prioritize the well-being of athletes, coaches and other stakeholders and ensure that everyone involved in sport is committed to providing a safe and supportive environment.
The advantages of such a commission are obvious. By establishing formal and consistent standards across the sporting system, the systemic issues of governance, medal winning and public distrust would be addressed. It could support Canadian sports policy values of safety, positive experiences, equity, diversity, inclusivity, accessibility, affordability, alignment, efficiency and sustainability throughout a Canadian’s lifespan.
Setting up an independent standardization committee for the entire sports system will not be easy. It requires support and funding from the Canadian government, the 13 provincial and territorial governments, and a lot of hard work. But the benefits would be significant.
By prioritizing integrity, professionalism and a duty of care, we can work together to solve problems across Canadian sport. We owe it to every Canadian to restore the structure of sport in this country. It is time for action and not just words of all government orders. They have the ball.
Mathieu Fleury, co-founder of the Ottawa Sport Council and former Ottawa Commissioner for Sport, was also a co-author of this article.