National Summit on Sport
Workshop Discussion Paper

The recommendations from the sport policy consultations clearly indicated the need for a Canadian Sport Policy that is designed to improve both participation in sport and the ability of sport participants to achieve national and international excellence. Consultation participants indicated that these two different but complementary policy goals can only be achieved through strengthening the existing capacity of the sport system.

The Canadian Sport Policy discussion paper notes that, to maximize the benefits for the individuals, communities and organizations in the sport system and for Canadian society, sport in Canada must involve as many people as possible. The paper calls for efforts to be directed to increasing the level of active participation and to continuing to foster the full participation of participants, coaches, officials, administrators and volunteers. The paper suggests initiatives, programs and resources be directed to the broadest possible participation of all Canadians, ensuring accessibility for, and the inclusion of, all members of Canadian society, and that targets be developed to measure sport participation success.

To improve excellence, the paper recommends that stretch targets for international performance be developed collaboratively to guide and direct the efforts of the entire sport community. The policy calls for programs to promote the development of world class athletes, coaches and officials in a sport environment characterized by the highest standards of values and ethics.


To achieve these policy goals, some possible actions are:


� develop and implement a strategy to raise the interest of Canadians to participate in sport
� reduce the emphasis on competition in entry level sport and focus more on fun
� address the influence of violence in professional sport
� increase the role of the federal government in promoting participation in addition to its current focus on excellence
� address the under-representation in sport of certain groups such as women, people with disabilities, Aboriginal peoples and visible minorities, especially in leadership positions
� develop ways to decrease the cost of sport participation for such things as membership fees, facility access, equipment and travel to competitions, and improve the ability of economically disadvantaged citizens to participate and excel in sport
� make the availability and accessibility of sport infrastructure more even across Canada
� increase sport and physical education in public schools
� coordinate activities within sport to allow for the seamless development of athletes from entry to high performance
� better recognize and value coaching as a profession
� put in place a commonly endorsed national philosophy, along with its associated goals and objectives, for international achievement by Canadian athletes
� develop a shared understanding in Canada of what constitutes ethical behaviour in sport
� implement a modern alternate dispute resolution process for Canada�s sport organizations
� come to a common agreement within sport on the role of the Canada Games as an integral part of the sport development system
� institute a coordinated national approach to hosting national and international single and multi sport competitions
� support the systematic development and application of research and knowledge with respect to sport and sport participation
� develop common principles and standards for ethical behaviour and strengthen cooperative relationships between amateur sport and professional sport
� reconcile the disparity between the Canadian public�s belief in the importance of amateur sport and the current public investment in sport and the need to increase alternative sources of funding
� improve collaboration and shared accountability among the multiplicity of stakeholders (individuals, organizations, institutions and governments) in the sport system


Workshop Tasks


1. Identify the priority actions that should be taken to increase the participation of all Canadians in sport.

1. Identify the priority actions that should be taken to improve the ability of Canadians to achieve national and international excellence in sport.

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