Question Period Note: Indigenous Youth and Sport

A fund of $5.5 million ongoing has been established to support Indigenous youth and sport initiatives.

• Budget 2017 invested $18.9 million over five years, starting in 2017-2018, and ongoing funding of $5.5 million on a four-year cycle thereafter, to support Indigenous sport leadership and culturally relevant sport programming.
• Budget 2017 provided new funding in support of the Aboriginal Sport Circle to strengthen Indigenous sport leadership and support the provinces and territories in the delivery of culturally relevant Indigenous sport programming, as well as stable, ongoing funding for the North American Indigenous Games.
• To create the best experience for participants in Indigenous sport, it is important to recognize that the sport system needs to better reflect the needs and cultural priorities of Indigenous children and youth.

• The needs and cultural priorities addressed by the proposed investment are drawn from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and are identified as:
o Stable funding for, and access to, community sports programs that reflect the diverse cultures and traditional sporting activities of Aboriginal peoples. This is essentially absent in the current system.
o Programs for coaches, trainers, and sports officials that are culturally relevant for Aboriginal peoples.
o Anti-racism training and awareness programs.
• The four point approach of the Indigenous Youth and Sport investment captures the essence of the Calls to Action and is designed to address systemic barriers that prevent Indigenous children and youth from participating in sport by investing in the following areas 1) Indigenous Sport Leadership 2) Culturally Relevant Sport Programming 3) The North American Indigenous Games, and 4) Data and Research.
• The expected results of the Indigenous Youth and Sport Investment are:
o In the short term, the investment ($3,900,000 over five years) will strengthen the capacity of the Aboriginal Sport Circle (ASC), the national voice for Indigenous sport in Canada. This will enable the ASC to provide expertise and guidance to Provinces and Territories (P/Ts), Provincial/Territorial Aboriginal Sport Bodies (P/TASBs), National Sport Organizations (NSOs), Multisport Services Organizations (MSOs), and Indigenous communities on the Aboriginal Long-Term Participant Development (ALTPD) Pathway, the guide for developing sport and physical activity among Indigenous peoples.
o In the medium term, the investment will provide sound technically based sport programming for Indigenous children and youth, and increase the number of First Nations, Inuit and Métis involved in sport. In addition, the investment will provide competitive opportunities for Indigenous children and youth by providing funding for the North American Indigenous Games.
o In the long term, the investment will reduce barriers to sport participation for Indigenous children and youth by providing technically sound sport programming that is both culturally relevant to Indigenous children and youth as well as welcoming and safe.

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