Canadian Heritage Committee on Nov. 19th, 2013

[The Chair (Mr. Gordon Brown (Leeds—Grenville, CPC)), Conservative, Gord Brown]

Good morning, everyone.

I'll call to order meeting three of the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage. We have a very busy schedule this morning.

We are honoured to start today off with a visit from the Minister of State for Sport, the Honourable Bal Gosal.

Minister, you have the floor for 10 minutes. Thank you for coming today.

[Bal Gosal, Conservative, Minister of State (Sport)]

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.

Good morning. I'd like to thank the members of this committee for inviting me to speak today. With me to take part in the discussion is Lane MacAdam from Sport Canada. Marcel Aubut and Caroline should be joining us any minute. They are on their way.

Like most Canadians, I love sport. I believe it is part of our culture and part of our identity. It has the ability to bring us closer together and instill national pride.

In my role as the Minister of State for Sport, I have been lucky to spend my time supporting our elite athletes on the field, rinks, and hills across Canada. It is incredible to watch the determination and pride that wearing the maple leaf brings to our athletes.

In 80 short days, sporting fans from across the world will focus on Sochi, Russia, as our elite athletes pursue their dream of standing atop the podium.

As we sit here today, our Canadian athletes are in the final stages of preparing to give their everything at the 2014 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in Sochi. This is a good time to discuss how ready we are and how well we expect to do.

Our government does not shy away from our record investment in sport. Through Sport Canada, our government is working to ensure that our Canadian athletes have the tools they need to reach their goals in the pursuit of sporting excellence.

Since being elected, our government has been working with our partners to provide our athletes with a strong support system that includes access to high-quality training environments and world-class coaching. The government is also working with national sport organizations to create opportunities to host international competitions on home soil, helping our athletes concentrate on training to achieve their podium dreams.

The Government of Canada supports Canada's sport system and our athletes with an investment of nearly $200 million a year through Sport Canada's three key programs: the sport support program, the hosting program, and the athlete assistance program.

Since coming to office, our government has invested nearly $990 million in the Canadian high-performance sport system, making the Government of Canada the largest single contributor to sport in the country. I would also like to point out that this funding represents an increase in support to the Canadian sport system of 52% since our government has come to office.

This support has allowed Canada to emerge as a leading sport nation. It has provided our athletes access to cutting-edge sport science and research, it has allowed our athletes a world-class training environment, and it has allowed our athletes to receive the best coaching in the world.

Our government has invested over $153 million into winter sport over the last four-year winter sport cycle. This is an increase of over $25 million, or a 20% increase, since the last four-year cycle prior to the 2010 Vancouver Olympics and Paralympic Games.

Furthermore, this would be an increase of 112% since the four-year cycle prior to the 2006 Winter Games in Torino.

Our government wants to ensure that no stone is left unturned and our athletes are able to do what they do best: win.

The sport support program is our primary funding vehicle to support Canada's national sport organizations, Canadian sport centres, and multi-sport service organizations. The annual budget of more than $140 million funds initiatives to encourage sport participation and programs for high-performance athletes, and it includes targeting funding to help our athletes fulfill their Olympic and Paralympic dreams.

While our government is working with our partners to allow our athletes to succeed, we're also working to ensure that Canadian athletes are competing fairly and clean.

I recently announced Sport Canada's annual funding to the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport to fund anti-doping initiatives such as athlete testing and an anti-doping hotline. In 2013-14 this will amount to an investment of $5.9 million.

The hosting program supports the efforts of Canadian communities to host such international sport events as the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Vancouver and the 2015 Pan American and Parapan American Games, which will take place in the greater golden horseshoe region.

Hosting these sport events in Canada benefits our athletes, inspires Canadians, creates jobs and economic opportunities in the host communities, and leaves a legacy of improved sports infrastructure. Our athletes gain valuable competition experience on home soil and benefit from new and improved facilities that allow them to train further and prepare to win for Canada at international competitions, including the Olympic Games and the Paralympic Games.

Finally, I would like to highlight for the committee that our government is providing direct funding to our top athletes, to help with their living and training expenses as well as post-secondary education. This allows them to concentrate on their athletic training. Through this program, we are providing $28 million every year to support more than 1,700 athletes. It is the largest source of direct financial assistance to athletes in Canada, helping our athletes to train full-time in the lead-up to the Sochi Winter Games.

Alexandre Bilodeau, Maëlle Ricker, and Josh Dueck are just three of the well-known athletes benefiting from this program. As you will no doubt remember, Alexandre became the first Canadian athlete to win an Olympic gold medal right here in Canada, at the 2010 Winter Games. It was the first of the record 14 gold medals for our Olympians that year. And the 19 medals earned by our Paralympians in Vancouver showed the world that our athletes can compete with the very best.

As Canadians, we are proud of our country's success as a leading sport nation. That is why, as a government, we are proud to support our athletes and help them achieve their podium dreams. Their success inspires us all, including our future Olympians and Paralympians.

l'm pleased to report that in the four years leading up to the games, our government has done as much as it could to help our athletes and teams reach the podium in Sochi. We are working, and will continue to work, closely with the Canadian Olympic Committee, the Canadian Paralympic Committee, and Own the Podium to ensure that our funding is putting Canadians atop the podium.

In just a few months, Canada's best winter sports athletes will compete against the world's best, and Canada has ambitious goals for success. Our Olympic athletes have set a high goal for themselves, hoping to achieve the top spot in the overall medal count. Our Paralympians are determined to finish in the top three in the gold medal count.

The 2014 Sochi Winter Games promises to be an exciting event for all Canadians. It is an opportunity to promote our culture and our values of openness and fair play. It is a chance to affirm our reputation as a leading sport nation. It is an occasion to come together as Canadians to support our athletes in their pursuit of excellence.

l will now be pleased to respond to any questions you have.

Thank you. Merci.

[The Chair, Conservative, Gord Brown]

Thank you very much, Minister.

We are expecting the president of the Canadian Olympic Committee, Marcel Aubut, momentarily. If it's approved by the committee, when he arrives we will give him his 10 minutes, which would start at the end of when that person is questioning. If the committee is okay, we will go on that basis.

On that basis, we will start the first round of questioning. It will be for seven minutes.

Mr. Richards.

[Blake Richards, Conservative, Wild Rose, AB]

Thanks, Mr. Chair.

It's a pleasure to have you here today, Minister. I appreciate your remarks.

Certainly it's great to hear about the funding our government has provided to our athletes and the type of funding they've received over the last four years. I'm sure we can expect a great performance at this year's games.

I hate to put you on the spot, but I'm curious as to what you think we can expect from our athletes. What are your predictions for our Olympic athletes and how successful we will be as a country this time around?

[Bal Gosal, Conservative, Bramalea—Gore—Malton, ON]

We work closely with the Canadian Olympic and Paralympic committees and national sports organizations.

We're proud of our athletes. Looking at the winter season they just had, they've set a very high goal, and I'm very supportive of that goal. I've been attending numerous sporting events. The way our athletes' training is going, I think we are on target to finish first overall.

[Blake Richards, Conservative, Wild Rose, AB]

Excellent. That's great. I hope you're right about that.

I'm sure we have well-trained athletes. Part of that comes from the fact that in Canada one of the things that is being encouraged heavily is former athletes, former Olympians, staying involved in their sport. Whether that be as administrators or coaches, we see a lot of that. Even in my own hometown, we've seen a former Olympian coach the swim club. We see it all the time in Canada.

This can't be completely by accident; it must be somewhat by design. I wonder if you can tell me a bit about the efforts being made in Canada to ensure that some of our best Olympians stay involved in their sport after their competitive careers are over and what we can do to further encourage that.

[Bal Gosal, Conservative, Bramalea—Gore—Malton, ON]

That is what we do. We work with national sports organizations. The Own the Podium program is a great success story. A lot of countries are looking up to that program. I was at the London Olympics last summer, and the U.K. set up their high-performance program after learning from the Own the Podium program, where we bring in athletes and mentors and encourage all the athletes to stay involved and get into coaching.

Just yesterday, CIBC announced a Team Next program, where they're partnering 67 athletes with some of the past Olympians and Paralympians, to mentor them as they get ready for the Pan American Games in 2015. We’re very much involved with national sports organizations and the Own the Podium program, to encourage our athletes to stay involved, either by mentoring, coaching, or training.

[Blake Richards, Conservative, Wild Rose, AB]

I appreciate your mentioning the upcoming Pan American Games we'll be hosting in the Toronto area. In your opening remarks, you mentioned how important it is for us as a country to host games in Canada, and how that creates an excitement for sport among our youth and encourages future athletes, I'm sure.

Do you have any statistics or information on exactly how those kinds of events encourage young people? I think of the 1988 Olympics in Calgary. One of the host communities there was Canmore, in my riding. It's amazing how many Olympic athletes we see coming out of Canmore, a very small community. Obviously, the fact that a training centre is there helps encourage young people to be involved in sport.

Are there any stats or other information on exactly what hosting those international events does for sport in Canada?

[Bal Gosal, Conservative, Bramalea—Gore—Malton, ON]

Hosting is very important. When we host any national or international competitions, the facilities are left behind afterwards and a legacy is left behind. Some good examples include the 1988 Calgary Olympics and the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. For the Pan Am and Parapan Am Games buildings, the Government of Canada has committed $500 million for infrastructure and legacy programs, and we are going to have the first-ever velodrome in Canada built in Milton, Ontario. Once we build these international-level facilities, they produce athletes. The young kids get inspired while watching athletes, especially when the athletes compete on home ground.

Also, when we have the facilities, that produces a record number of athletes.

I'll ask Lane to add some of the stats.

[Lane MacAdam, Director, Sport Excellence, Sport Canada, Department of Canadian Heritage]

There's no question that the gold-medal hockey game during the Vancouver Olympic Games was the most-watched television broadcast in Canadian history. Obviously, Canadians are passionate about sport and interested in watching sport, and certainly many sports have had spikes in memberships following large-scale events. The women's soccer medal in London two years ago certainly resulted in an increase in membership in girls' soccer.

There is evidence of the impact that hosting these events on home soil has, in terms of opportunities for young Canadians to participate in these activities. As the minister mentioned, a lot of these brand-new facilities would not be in place had a particular region in the country not hosted the games.

[Blake Richards, Conservative, Wild Rose, AB]

Thank you.

Minister, in your speech you mentioned some of the most recent efforts to deal with anti-doping, in terms of the hotline and things like that.

Could you tell me what the Government of Canada is doing, including working with partners? I know Mr. Aubut hasn't had a chance to give his opening presentation yet, but maybe if there's time, he may have some comments that you'd like him to provide on behalf of the Olympic committee on what we're doing to further anti-doping efforts.

[Bal Gosal, Conservative, Bramalea—Gore—Malton, ON]

Thank you again.

Canada is very proactive. The World Anti-Doping Agency headquarters is in Montreal, and Canada is on the executive of the agency. We work closely with the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sports. This year alone, we have funded them another $400,000 for one year to have extra testing leading up to Sochi, and they work very proactively with national sports organizations to have our athletes tested to ensure fair play. Close to $6 million is being spent to support the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sports in 2013–14.

[The Chair, Conservative, Gord Brown]

Thank you, Minister. We're going to have to end the first round.

We'd now like to welcome, from the Canadian Olympic Committee, President Marcel Aubut.

You have the floor for 10 minutes, and then we'll go back to the questioning once you have completed your remarks. Thank you very much.

[Marcel Aubut, President, Canadian Olympic Committee]

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.

Honourable members of the committee, it is my pleasure to appear before you this morning to talk to you about our Canadian Olympic team's preparations.

Thank you for the invitation to join you today.

You may be surprised to learn that the Canadian Olympic Committee, or the COC, is the most significant source of private funding for high-performance sports in the country.

This is not to be confused with the Government of Canada's tremendous role as the country's largest contributor to sport. Without question, continued strong and stable government and private sector funding are critical to our success today, tomorrow, and well into the future.

On behalf of Canadian athletes, coaches and all national sports federations, I want to thank Prime Minister Harper, Minister Gosal—who is here today and is a good friend of mine—and Minister Flaherty for this substantial support. That being said, our athletes and coaches need that support to remain as consistent and as strong.

On top of performance expectations for these games, the goal of the Canadian Olympic team is to contend for the top spot in overall medals.

In Sochi, the Canadian Olympic team will try to change history and make Canada the first host country to win even more medals at the next games. That is something that has never happened. This objective is ambitious and will not be easy to reach, but that is how we like our objectives. Courage and ambition are needed to achieve excellence.

We know that the Olympic Games are a matter of national pride in many countries, and sport is becoming more and more competitive all over the world.

We now see that for the first time there are as many as five countries all within striking distance of that top spot; there is very tight competition. One or two medals may make the difference between finishing first and finishing fifth. As we know, anything can happen at the Olympic Games. Often it's not necessarily the best athlete who wins, but the one who is most prepared to compete and win in the Olympic environment.

This is why the Canadian Olympic Games preparation initiative and mission team—that is the team behind the athletes—has been working for the last five years to leave no stone unturned in preparing for Sochi.

The COC has done everything for the Canadian athletes to have the best possible conditions in order to perform to the fullest of their potential and talent during the games.

This is the first time the winter team is going to Sochi after having a full tour of all the preparation programs in place. We have never been so well equipped.

Our Olympians who are heading to Sochi will be the first Olympic winter team to have gone through a full cycle of our games preparation program, which I will describe to you today. This is critical, because the Sochi games will be the largest games ever, with more sports, more competition, more athletes, and a lot more attention.

We anticipate that we will send our largest winter team ever, with more than 215 athletes and 90 coaches, with a supportive team of 550 people.

A team of 550 Canadians is going to Sochi.

Second, we will have the greatest number of rookie athletes. That creates part of the complexity, the unknown. They are there for the first time.

We are sending the greatest number of team members to Sochi for the greatest number of familiarization visits.

This one is important. We have the greatest number of facilities to operate. We have to operate ten different facilities in Sochi. Because of all that complexity, we will need the greatest number of mission team members ever.

I am also pleased that, due to the cooperation of various groups, for the first time ever, every single athlete will be subject to doping controls before leaving our soil.

We do all of this because we know it makes a difference to performance, especially when a fraction of a second or one point can make the difference between a medal and no medal. There is an absolute science behind the preparations we undertake in partnership with the athletes, coaches, and national sports federations.

Our greatest strength and expertise lie in listening to our athletes and their coaches and acting accordingly. That has helped us see how different the Olympics Games are from the competitions our athletes generally participate in. Those are two entirely different things. That is why some athletes have amazing performances at certain major competitions, but not necessarily at the Olympic Games.

I mentioned earlier that these games would require us to deliver the largest mission operations. Here are some examples. For the first time we have chartered a whole ship to take 145,000 pounds of Canadian products and equipment, valued at $3 million, to Sochi.

This is the first time we are doing that.

We will be distributing 60,000 pieces of team clothing in over 550 bags, and hopefully these bags will come back home, not only with red and white clothing but also with the colours gold, silver, and bronze.

We have transmitted 22,500 pieces of data to register the team for the games.

We have looked at every aspect of the uniqueness of these Olympic Games and have systematically delivered the program against a background of all those elements in order to best prepare our athletes and coaches. These preparations include heightened media attention, preparation, and increased family and friends services. They also include team building and using other Olympian champions to inspire and motivate the team.

That way, we are making sure that the whole Canadian Olympic family will be well prepared to support our athletes in Sochi.

I mentioned earlier that we will manage ten facilities. Three of those facilities are the Olympic villages where our athletes will live: the coastal village, the mountain village, and the endurance village. There will be more complexes than there usually are.

In those three villages, the Olympic Committee will provide some very diverse services.

The village is also where Canadian athletes come together to meet each other, share stories, and get advice from COC athletes services officials, who are all Olympians themselves. It was in the athlete lounge, if we remember, in Vancouver that our famous Sidney Crosby was playing table tennis with his fellow teammates from sports other than hockey.

Canadian athletes will also benefit from the famous second home program in Sochi. That program was developed by the Canadian Olympic Committee to provide the athletes with a very comfortable and family-like environment.

We will provide the physical preparation and recovery area for the exclusive use of the Canadian team in the village with a complete health and science clinic filled with an expert Canadian health team.

The support team includes physicians, therapists, operations staff, the communications group and the RCMP security personnel.

There is a wellness centre that is very important because it provides a calm and relaxing environment on site.

Again, this is an example of the unique things we offer to the team. We know it makes a difference. We remember Vancouver and Joannie Rochette's coach, who was the pillar of her strength and who used this to turn around the situation that Joannie was facing. We know the rest of the story about her performance.

Our health and wellness specialists will help our athletes remain focused on performance, rather than on the numerous distractions associated with an Olympic environment.

We also have a centre devoted to technology and performance.

This centre includes the video analysis technology to capture and analyze all Canadian Olympic team performances.

Of course, we have a high-performance gym in Sochi with the same equipment we have at home.

Canada Olympic House will be the main hub for everything Canadian at Sochi: from medal ceremonies to corporate partners, and activation and management offices, all mainly for the family and friends of the athletes to make sure they focus on their performance and forget any distraction.

You can imagine that the task is huge and that I cannot tell you more about that today. This is just an overview of the incredibly important preparations at play.

For the Canadian Olympic Committee, these games are by far the most expensive and the most complex to date, but thanks to your support, we are ready to compete fiercely for first place. Our goal is winning.

Thank you for your attention today. I'd be happy to answer any questions with my colleagues, the chief of sport—she is the boss of sport of our country—and the executive director of communications with the Canadian Olympic Committee, Dimitri Soudas. I'm very proud to be with them here today.

[The Chair, Conservative, Gord Brown]

Thank you very much, Monsieur Aubut.

We'll go back to our questioning. From the official opposition, Mr. Garrison.

[Randall Garrison, NDP, Esquimalt—Juan de Fuca, BC]

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.

I'd like to start by thanking the minister and the president of the Canadian Olympic Committee for taking the time to be here to talk about preparations. We all appreciate the enormous efforts that are going into preparing for these games.

I'm pleased to have an opportunity to talk about these preparations from the point of view of inclusive Olympics, so that all athletes, their families, and spectators can feel free to participate in the Olympic Games. I want to start by noting the very positive work the Canadian Olympic Committee has done in promoting an inclusive Olympics.

The challenge for these Olympics is that they're taking place in Russia, which has recently passed a law known as the anti-gay propaganda law, which, as I'm sure most people are aware, makes any public discussion or demonstration of pro-gay ideas illegal. Individuals and organizations are subject to fines and detention and non-Russians to deportation and a ban from returning to the country.

This morning I've asked the committee to circulate two posters. I wonder if those could also be made available to the minister and the witnesses. I'd like to ask very specifically about these posters.

The anti-gay law in Russia has already been enforced against Russians and non-Russians alike, including an individual who held up a handmade sign saying, “Being gay and loving gays is normal. Beating gays and killing gays is a crime.” The individual was arrested and fined for holding up that sign.

Non-Russians, including a Dutch delegation from Groningen who were visiting their sister city, were arrested, detained, fined, deported, and banned from Russia for three years. So we have clear examples of this law being applied.

I have a specific question to the Minister of Sport. These posters, which I'm not sure he's received yet, prepared by Fondation Émergence de Montréal, depict two male hockey players kissing and two female snowboarders. These posters would be illegal in Russia, and if any of our Canadian participants chose to display these posters they would potentially be subject to the anti-gay law. Or if an athlete with a same-sex partner wishes to celebrate by kissing their partner, as in the poster, this is also illegal in Russia.

I'd like to ask the minister specifically what is Canada doing to make sure that all Canadian athletes, families, spectators can participate freely and fully in these games?

[Bal Gosal, Conservative, Bramalea—Gore—Malton, ON]

The Government of Canada has raised concerns directly with Russian authorities on this. We all know that the protection and promotion of human rights is a hallmark of Canadian foreign policy. We are very proactive....

[Technical difficulty—Editor]

As I was mentioning, Canada is very proactive. We have raised our concerns with Russian authorities. Promotion and protection of human rights is a hallmark of Canadian foreign policy. The International Olympic Committee has received assurance from the Russian government that this law will not affect any of those taking part in Sochi. We're working with the Canadian Olympic and Paralympic committees as well.

I think Mr. Aubut can add more to this.

[Marcel Aubut]

Yes, Mr. Minister, you are absolutely right.

Our position on this is pretty clear. First of all, as a general comment, it's not our job to get involved in any political debate. Our job is to win and be prepared.

Secondly, we are basing all our rationale on the absolute right to play sports, regardless of race, gender, and sexual orientation. That has nothing to do.... Sport has no limits, as far as being a right.

Also, we brought it to the IOC, the International Olympic Committee. We are a subsidiary of the IOC. We were in Canada, and with the cooperation of the Minister of Sport, we received an absolute assurance from the highest authority, the International Olympic Committee—which was really handling this on behalf of all of us and dealing directly with the government of Russia—that this legislation would have no impact on our fans, our athletes, our media, or our Canadian Olympic team at large. We have an absolute guarantee. The IOC and the COC are satisfied with that guarantee.

The priority, I repeat again, is to be prepared. No distractions—concentration, focus, preparation, and more preparation. The best answer to all of this is to win.

[Randall Garrison, NDP, Esquimalt—Juan de Fuca, BC]

With respect, though, for gay and lesbian or gender-variant athletes, it is a distraction to have such a threat. Both the minister of sport for Russia and the minister of the interior have contradicted the president and said that these laws will be enforced at the time of the games.

We in the NDP have suggested that a special consular official be appointed at the games to assist any Canadians who run into problems with the application of this law. We haven't had an official response from the government on this idea of appointing, as New Zealand has done, a special consular official to assist any Canadians with problems resulting from this law.

[Bal Gosal, Conservative, Bramalea—Gore—Malton, ON]

As I said, we are working with the Russian authorities. The consular officials from the consular's office in Russia will be in Sochi to help all Canadians with any issues that arise. That is already done.

[Randall Garrison, NDP, Esquimalt—Juan de Fuca, BC]

Well, with respect, Minister, it's not just all Canadians. We have a specific problem with the Russian anti-gay law.

What we're asking is that someone be prepared, and that the person be identified, so that anyone who has a problem with the laws could contact that official in Sochi to receive assistance. Once again, we're not asking for the same general assistance that all other Canadians would receive, but for some special measures to be taken. Given the statements by the minister of sport and the minister of the interior that the laws would be enforced, I think it would be prudent to have someone who is designated to assist Canadians in this way.

[Lane MacAdam]

To add to what the minister has said, we've certainly been working with Foreign Affairs over the planning period going into Sochi. The Moscow post has been actively involved in the preparations and planning. There will be specifically designated consular officers posted in Sochi for the period of the games, and certainly this will be something they will be watching carefully for.

[The Chair, Conservative, Gord Brown]

Thank you very much, Mr. Garrison.

We'll move to Mr. Dion for seven minutes.

[Stéphane Dion, Liberal, Saint-Laurent—Cartierville, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you so much for being with us, Mr. Minister and Monsieur Aubut.

Minister, I wish you the best. I wish Canada the best. On this issue, partisan politics has no role to play. I am on your team, as I am when we play soccer against the media.

Good luck to you, too, Mr. Aubut.

At the point we are at now, a few weeks before the event, what are the most pressing tasks you have to do and how can this committee help?

[Bal Gosal, Conservative, Bramalea—Gore—Malton, ON]

The preparations are going well. We have daily briefings. Our teams are ready, and whatever support they need, Sport Canada is providing it to them.

We are working very closely with national sports organizations and the Canadian Olympic and Paralympic committees to make sure there are no issues, that our teams are ready and they have all the facilities and services they need.

I'll ask Mr. Aubut if he wants to add anything about the other preparations.