Question Period Note: Concussions in sport

Concussion is a serious and significant public health issue that affects the sport, recreation, health, and education sectors. On August 6, 2022, the Federal, Provincial and Territorial Ministers responsible for sport, physical activity and recreation reiterated that concussions remain a major concern. Building on the 2019 commitments and considering the progressive return to sport post-pandemic, ministers will continue the pan-Canadian efforts on concussion awareness, prevention, detection, and management.

• Concussions in sport are a serious public health issue due to their frequency of occurrence and their negative consequences on brain health.
• We know there is more to be done to prevent concussions in sport.
• We will continue to work with partners, including provincial-territorial jurisdictions, to ensure a safe return-to-sport post-pandemic and to increase the awareness, prevention, and management of concussions for all Canadians.

• The Government of Canada is dedicated to promoting safe and ethical sport environments for all Canadians. The prevention of concussions is a complex issue requiring the involvement of many sport and non-sport stakeholders and a multi-faceted approach.
• In November 2015 and October 2017, the Minister of Health and the Minister of Sport and Persons with Disabilities were both mandated “to support a national strategy to raise awareness for parents, coaches, and athletes on concussion treatment.” This commitment remained a top priority in the federal mandate letter of December 2019, and in the updated mandate letter of January 2021.
• Created in 2015, the Federal, Provincial and Territorial Working Group on Concussions in Sport (working group) is comprised of government representatives, non-governmental sport organizations, health, medical and education experts, as well as members of the Canadian Concussion Collaborative.
• On July 28, 2017, Parachute released the Canadian Guideline on Concussion in Sport (Canadian Guideline) for application in the Canadian context. The Canadian Guideline is based on the Fifth International Consensus Statement on Concussion in Sport published in April 2017.
• Following release of the Canadian Guideline, return-to-learn and return-to-play protocols have been developed at the national level.
• On July 28, 2017, the working group also released the Framework for Action, as approved by the Federal-Provincial/Territorial Sport, Physical Activity and Recreation Ministers, which details principles and recommendations to address the five components of the harmonized approach on concussions: awareness, prevention, detection, management, and surveillance.
• On June 8, 2018, a national awareness campaign (We are headstrong), a return-to-learn generic protocol and a course for health practitioners were launched at a workshop with national sport organizations.
• On February 15, 2019, in Red Deer, Alberta, the Federal-Provincial/Territorial Sport, Physical Activity and Recreation Ministers committed to additional actions to mitigate concussions and build on initiatives that increase the awareness, prevention and management of concussions.
• On June 3, 2019, the Standing Committee on Health tabled the 24th Report on the Subcommittee on Sports-Related Concussions in Canada’s study, entitled Tackling the Problem Head-on: Sports-Related Concussions in Canada, in the House of Commons. The report contains thirteen recommendations. The Federal government response was presented to the House on June 23, 2021. The recommendations call on the Government of Canada to continue to act in the areas of research, awareness, prevention, detection, management, and surveillance.
• As of March 31, 2021, federally funded recipients are required to have a policy on concussion that covers the areas of awareness, prevention, detection, surveillance, and management. In addition, each organization must have a specific return-to-sport protocol compliant with the latest Canadian Guideline on Concussion in Sport.
• In the spring and summer 2021, the working group monitored the implementation of the Framework for Action and the 2019 Red Deer recommendations. A report on the progress was tabled at the Federal-Provincial/Territorial Sport, Physical Activity and Recreation Minister’s conference in 2022.
• In the context of safe sport, on August 6, 2022, ministers reiterated that concussions remain a major concern. Building on the 2019 commitments—while taking into consideration the context of a progressive return-to-sport post-pandemic—ministers will continue pan-Canadian efforts on concussion awareness, prevention, detection, and management. Ministers will also be encouraging funded sport organizations to have a concussion policy and to explore opportunities for collaboration with the health and education departments to enhance awareness and prevention.
• Ministers also recognized the importance of collaborating with stakeholders to update the most recent version of the Canadian Guideline on Concussion in Sport and other prevention or educational/awareness tools, as well as return-to-sport protocols.
• September 25 to October 1, 2022, marks the second annual National Concussion Awareness Week. This week was launched in direct response to the Federal-Provincial/Territorial Sport, Physical Activity and Recreation Ministers’ January 2021 recommendation of establishing an annual Concussion Awareness Week. Held during the last week of September, the objective of this week is to increase concussion awareness by providing Canadians with access to the latest information, research, and resource tools to prevent, recognize and properly manage concussions. It is also an opportunity to showcase the innovative pan-Canadian work being done by stakeholders across all sectors.

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