Question Period Note: Safe and Welcoming Sport and Cultural Environments

The Government of Canada continues to assume a leadership role to ensure that sport and cultural industries are free from harassment, abuse and discrimination.

• The safety and security of participants in sport and the cultural industries is a priority for the Government of Canada.
• The government requires federally funded sport and cultural organizations to take measures to create a workplace free from harassment, abuse or discrimination of any kind.
• We are providing funding to support sport and cultural organizations to create safe, welcoming and inclusive environments.

• The Minister of Canadian Heritage’s mandate letter included the commitment to “continue to work with partners, including provinces and territories, to foster an environment that is safe, welcoming and inclusive in the sport and cultural industries”. The letter also included the commitment to “foster a national culture of safe sport, including physical safety, sporting environments free of harassment, promoting diversity and inclusion in sport and research into injury prevention”.
• Budget 2019 provides $30 million over five years, starting in 2019–2020, 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: 1-Take all necessary measures to create a workplace free from harassment, abuse or discrimination of any kind; 2-Immediately disclose any incident that could compromise the project or programming to the Minister responsible for sport; 3-Make provisions for access to an independent third party to address harassment and abuse cases; 4-Provide mandatory training on harassment and abuse to their members by April 1, 2020.
• In February 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, a Multisport Service Organization or a Canadian Sport Centre. The SDRCC will evaluate the pilot-projects in April 2020.
• Sport Canada supported the Coaching Association of Canada 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 Sport, Physical Activity and Recreation 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.
• On January 5, 2018, following a number of serious high-profile allegations of sexual harassment in the cultural sector, the Minister of Canadian Heritage issued a statement saying that “there is no tolerance for harassment,” and announced a review of funding policies to ensure that recipient organizations promote healthy and harassment-free work environments.
• On April 25, 2018, the Minister of Canadian Heritage and the Director and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for the Canada Council for the Arts announced changes to their respective funding instruments to ensure that recipients commit to creating a workplace free from harassment, abuse and discrimination.
• Changes to the Department’s funding instruments to ensure recipients understand their responsibilities regarding workplace integrity have been phased in gradually according to operational timelines. Changes have been completed for 85 percent of program delivery streams at the current time.
• The Department’s Centre of Expertise has developed a departmental protocol for dealing with issues of workplace integrity when they arise within recipient organizations. This protocol will include an escalation process (e.g., warning, recommendations, risk mitigation measures, reduction and/or termination) to support program staff in the management of such files. The protocol is scheduled for presentation to the Policy and Program Committee for approval on January 21, 2020.
• Also on April 25, 2018, the Minister of Canadian Heritage and the Director and CEO for the Canada Council for the Arts announced combined support of $552,000 for the “Respectful Workplaces in the Arts” project led by the Cultural Human Resources Council and its partners to support workers and employers to build better workplace environments in the cultural sector.
• In Phase 1 of this initiative (completed), tools were developed and shared publicly on the respectfulartsworkplaces.ca website. In Phase 2 (ongoing to March 31, 2020), a select group of trainers from different parts of the country and cultural sector are delivering workshops on maintaining respectful workplaces to a range of audiences, including employers, workers, and artists. It is anticipated that Phase 2 will reach 1750 arts organizations across Canada.
• Arts organizations are also receiving federal funding for various workplace integrity initiatives through Employment and Social Development Canada and Justice Canada.
• Canadian Heritage stakeholders, notably artist unions, guilds and arts and cultural sector associations, have shown significant independent leadership in addressing harassment in the cultural sector. For example, Not in Our Space - the theatre community’s national anti-harassment and respectful workplace campaign – was developed collaboratively by Equity and the Professional Association of Canadian Theatres.
• On February 19, 2020, MP Lyne Bessette (Brome—Missisquoi, LPC) gave notice of the following motion before the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage (CHPC): That the committee undertake a study of how best ensure a national culture of safe sport consisting of both physical safety and sporting environments free of harassment, abuse and discrimination; that the committee hold at least three meetings on this subject with relevant witnesses; and that the committee report its findings to the House. Discussion on the motion is pending.

None