Question Period Note: Announcement of sport initiatives in Budget 2024

Budget 2024 announced four initiatives for sport in Canada. They are: The Future of Sport in Canada Commission; additional funding for the Athlete Assistance Program; supporting community sport programming to reduce barriers to participation; and, creating a safer and more welcoming sport environment.

The Government of Canada is committed to ensuring a safe and welcoming environment for athletes, from amateur to Olympian and Paralympian. Budget 2024 provides $16 million over two years to prevent and address maltreatment, support those with concussions and mental health issues, and advance inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility in sport.

Budget 2024 also provides $10.6 million in funding to support the Future of Sport in Canada Commission. The Commission will review and report on systemic causes of maltreatment in sport in Canada and make recommendations on how to improve sport in Canada.

The government is providing an additional $7 Million in ongoing funding to the Athlete Assistance Program. This direct funding to Canadian athletes offsets living, training and education costs so that they can remain in high performance sport.

Budget 2024 provides $15 million over two years to support community sport programming to make sports more accessible for young Canadians and ensure every child has the opportunity to participate.

Future of Sport in Canada Commission

Announced on December 11, 2023, the Commission will:

Provide a forum for victims and survivors of maltreatment in sport to bring to light the experiences, causes, and impacts of maltreatment in sport and support healing.

Engage stakeholders on how to ensure safe sport and improve the sport system in Canada.

Hold a National Summit to deliberate on the Commission’s preliminary findings and recommendations.

Produce two reports including recommendations for the Government of Canada on how to create safe sport environments and improve the sport system.

The Commission will produce information and recommendations, informed by athletes, victims, survivors, experts, and an assortment of sport stakeholders to improve sport policies and programming for the benefit of all.

Athlete Assistance Program (AAP)

The AAP provides direct financial support to more than 1,800 Canadian high performance athletes, across more than 94 sport disciplines. Approximately half are female and over 250 are Paralympic athletes.

The 2023–24 AAP budget is $33 million.

Carded athletes receive funding for living and training expenses and are eligible for tuition support to further their education.

Community Sport for All

In Budget 2021, the Government of Canada announced $80 million (over 2021–22 and 2022–23) to support organized sport and to remove barriers to participation in sports for equity-deserving groups (Black, Indigenous, racialized, 2SLGBTQI+, low-income, persons with a disability, and newcomers).

Funding was directed at organizations at the national level, to administer and disburse project funding to community organizations, which in turn delivered quality sport programming to Canadians, including the identified equity-deserving groups.

The initiative supported 40 national-level organizations in fiscal year 2023–24.

Safe Sport

Budget 2019 announced an investment of $30 million over five years, to enable Canadian sport organizations to ensure a safe and healthy sport environment in the areas of maltreatment, concussions, and doping. Funding sunsets at the end of 2023–24.

Funding was provided to National Sport Organizations and Multisport Service Organizations to support the establishment of independent third-party mechanisms to address maltreatment, prior to the establishment of the Abuse-Free Sport program.

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