Question Period Note: Sport Canada funding programs

The Sport Support Program supports the development of the Canadian sport system and provides funding opportunities for all Canadians, through eligible organizations, to participate in sport. The Athlete Assistance Program provides direct financial support to over 1,800 Canadian high performance (carded) athletes, across more than 94 sport disciplines. The Hosting Program supports events such as the Canada Games, the North American Indigenous Games, and international single sport events hosted in Canada.

• In 2023–24, the Sport Support Program will provide 195 million dollars to eligible organizations to support the development of Canadian athletes and coaches and provide funding opportunities for all Canadians to participate in sport.
• The Athlete Assistance Program will provide 33 million dollars in 2023–24 to offsets living, training and education costs to more than 1800 Canadian athletes so that they can remain in high performance sport.
• In 2023–24, the Hosting Program will allocate 25.5 million dollars to support games such as the Canada Games and the North American Indigenous Games, and for international single sport events.

Sport Support Program
• 2023-24 Sport Support Program’s budget is 195 million dollars. It supports the provision of opportunities for all Canadians to participate in sport and the development of the Canadian sport system. Funding is provided to eligible organizations for programming that is aligned with the goals of the Canadian Sport Policy (CSP).
• The CSP sets direction for the period of 2012 to 2022 (to be renewed in 2023) for all governments, institutions and organizations that are committed to realizing the positive impacts of sport on individuals, communities and society. The CSP encourages the development of new local, national and international partnerships, with sport and non sport partners. The CSP contributes to excellence; enhanced education and skill development; improved health and wellness; increased civic pride, civic engagement and cohesion; and increased economic development and prosperity.
• The Sport Support Program is delivered through these components:
o The National Sport Organization (NSO) component funds eligible organizations for programming that supports the development of Canadian athletes and coaches.
o The National Multisport Services Organizations (MSOs) component funds eligible organizations for programs and services offered to the national sport community to advance the development of sport in Canada.
o The Canadian Sport Centres (CSC) component funds eligible organizations for programming that supports the development of Canadian athletes and coaches.
o The Community Sport for All Initiative component seeks to remove barriers and increase sport participation rates for underrepresented groups. Its key objective is to support community sport initiatives for equity-deserving groups, in particular, Black, Indigenous, 2SLGBTQI+, and newcomers to increase participation and retention in sport.
o The Innovation Initiative funds eligible organizations for the testing of innovative quality sport approaches in order to develop evidence-based solutions to improve sport participation.
o The Sport for Social Development in Indigenous Communities component funds eligible organizations to deliver sport for social development projects for Indigenous communities in Canada.
o The Federal-Provincial/Territorial Bilateral Agreements on sport participation to support increased participation in sport for children and youth as well as under-represented groups.
Athlete Assistance Program
• The Athlete Assistance Program (AAP) provides direct financial support to more than 1,800 Canadian high performance (carded) athletes, across more than 94 sport disciplines.
• 2023-24 AAP budget is 33 million dollars.
• The gender breakdown of the AAP athletes is approximately 50/50.
• Over 250 of these athletes are Paralympic athletes. Carded athletes receive funding for living and training expenses and are eligible for tuition support to further their education.
• NSOs which are eligible for support from the AAP are responsible to produce and publish their own AAP compliant, sport specific carding criteria that athletes must meet to be nominated for AAP support.
• NSOs follow AAP guidelines in the preparation of the sport specific carding criteria and opportunities to meet carding requirements should be consistent with a sport’s national training or competitive program and should be accessible to the majority of the best Canadian athletes. Carding criteria should normally be linked to National Team selection criteria and the National Team depth charts for team sports.
Hosting Program
• The2023-24 Hosting Program’s budget is 25.5 million dollars.
• The 2008 Federal Policy for Hosting International Sport Events, commonly known as the Hosting Policy, provides a framework for the delivery of Canadian Heritage (Sport Canada)'s Hosting Program.
• The Hosting Program delivers economic, social and cultural benefits to Canadian communities through four delivery components:
o International Single Sport Events: Assists National Sport Organizations in hosting international single sport events in Canada (e.g., World Championships, Olympic or Paralympic qualifying events, and World Cups). These events aim to enhance high-performance sport development and the international profile of Canadian sport organizations.
o International Multisport Games for Aboriginal Peoples and Persons (IMGAPPD) with a Disability: Provides competitive opportunities for designated, underrepresented groups in Canada that face systemic barriers to sport participation. Currently, the 2008 Federal Policy for Hosting International Sport Events stipulates that only the following four events are eligible for IMGAPPD component funding: North American Indigenous Games, Arctic Winter Games, Special Olympics World Games and the Deaflympics.
o Canada Games: Provides funding in support of both the hosting of and participant travel to the Canada Games. Held at two-year intervals, alternating between winter and summer, Sport Canada collaborates with the host municipal and provincial/territorial governments to financially support each edition of the Games.
o International Major Multisport Games: Supports large, multisport games that are governed by an international sport franchise holder with links to an international sport federation (e.g., Summer/Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games, Commonwealth Games, and Pan and Parapan American Games).
• The Hosting Program supports over 85 sporting events annually.

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