Question Period Note: Safe and Welcoming Sport

The Government of Canada continues to assume a leadership role to ensure participants at all levels of the system have access to sport in an environment free from harassment, abuse, discrimination and maltreatment.

• The safety and security of athletes, coaches, and officials is our top priority.
• The government has sent clear messages to federally funded sport organizations that they must implement comprehensive measures to create a workplace free from harassment, abuse or discrimination of any kind.
• We announced new funding to enable sport organizations to implement those measures, including a safe place for the disclosure of cases, as requested by athletes.

• Budget 2019 provides $30 million over five years, starting in
2019–20, with $6 million per year ongoing, to enable Canadian sports organizations to promote accessible, ethical, equitable and safe sports.
• On June 19, 2018, the following measures were announced to enhance the existing policy framework in these areas: Federally funded sport organizations must:
o Take all necessary measures to create a workplace free from harassment, abuse or discrimination of any kind.
o Immediately disclose any incident of harassment, abuse or discrimination that could compromise the project or programming to the Minister of Sport.
o Make provisions—within their governance framework—for access to an independent third party to address harassment and abuse cases.
o Provide mandatory training on harassment and abuse to their members by April 1, 2020.
• On February 14 and 15, 2019, during the meeting of federal, provincial, and territorial Ministers responsible for sport, physical activity, and recreation, ministers endorsed the Red Deer Declaration for the Prevention of Harassment, Abuse and Discrimination in Sport. As part of this declaration, Ministers will develop a collaborative approach to increase awareness, prevention, identifying and reporting, and monitoring to address harassment, abuse, and discrimination in sport. Ministers also agreed to make "safety and integrity in sport" a standing agenda item for future meetings.
• In March 2019, the Sport Dispute Resolution Centre of Canada (SDRCC) launched of a pilot project for a helpline for referral and for an investigation unit to extend its expertise and services to offer an independent third-party service to investigate harassment and abuse complaints, directed by a National Sport Organization (NSO), a Multisport Service Organization (MSO) or a Canadian Sport Centre (CSC). The SDRCC will evaluate the pilot-projects in April 2020.
• Sport Canada supported the Coaching Association of Canada (CAC) to host a series of nationwide consultations on the development of the Universal Code of Conduct (UCC) to address harassment and abuse in Canadian sport.
• The resulting draft Components of a UCC , which includes general principles, definitions of misconduct, prohibited behaviours, and an approach to sanctions has been endorsed in-principle by the majority of national-level sport organization. The final version of the UCC will be available soon and could be shared at the SPAR Ministers Conference in Whitehorse in March 2020.
• Sport Canada has stated its commitment to engage the national sport community in a process to identify the most appropriate and effective approach to implementing the UCC at the national level once the document is completed.

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