Murray Wood: The Art of the CUSMA Deal
Insults, complaints that Canada is so mean, warnings the U.S. doesn't need us. It's all standard operating procedure. Th...
OTTAWA — The federal government is adding $755 million in sport funding as part of its spring economic update.
Finance Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne says the money’s purpose is to expand access to sport and better support Canada’s athletes competing on the world stage.
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Prime Minister Mark Carney hinted at an injection of money into the sports system March 14 when speaking with Canadian skiers competing in Norway.
Canada fell out of the top five countries in the total medal count at the Winter Olympics for the first time since 1994 in February’s Milan Cortina Games.
The country’s gold and total medal numbers also dropped in the Paralympic Games in Italy.
The Future of Sport in Canada Commission’s final report called on the federal government for a funding injection into sport, warning that an underfunded sport system is unsafe.
No core funding increase in November budget
In November, the head of ski association Freestyle Canada said he understood that the federal budget was designed to navigate the country’s choppy economic waters.
But Peter Judge said the medal hauls that Canadians have seen from their teams at Olympic and Paralympic Games are on borrowed time without an increase in core funding for national sports organizations.
“To be blunt, you know, the sports sector is just slowly bleeding to death,” Judge said.
“I’m not being alarmist here. This is shared in the community. Sooner or later, there will be a drop off the cliff.”
The Canadian Olympic and Paralympic committees had asked on behalf of sport federations for a $144-million increase in core funding, which they say hasn’t increased in two decades.
NSOs count on core funding as predictable annual revenue with which to pay for operations, coaches and support staff.
The COC and CPC say national sports organizations are running deficits, cutting back on sending athletes to competitions and training camps and increasing team fees that athletes pay because inflation has weakened their spending power.
Judge said Freestyle Canada’s accumulated deficit from three years could reach almost $2 million this year.
“Canadians care deeply about sport — from the grassroots where children learn life skills and healthy habits, to the high-performance athletes proudly representing Canada on the world stage,” the COC and CPC said in a joint statement Wednesday.
“The enriching moments Canadians experience, both as participants and cheering fans, should not be taken for granted.
“We continue to advocate for federal investment in National Sport Organization core funding as part of a plan to transform the Canadian sport system and the nation.”
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