Evidence of meeting #68 for Canadian Heritage in the 44th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was soccer.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Player Representative, Canadian National Soccer Team Player, Canadian Soccer Player's Association
That's correct. If it's renewed for an option, which is 2037, it's a yes.
Liberal
Tim Louis Liberal Kitchener—Conestoga, ON
Okay. That's a short answer. Hopefully, we can work on that.
In my final minute, Christine Sinclair, you have a chance here—there are so many people watching, so many young people watching—to give, maybe, two messages to our youth. One is a message about this inequity on a broader scale as well. The other is about how you're handling it as a team, as a group, how you're stepping up. Those are two lessons that, hopefully, can inspire the next generation.
We heard that there was no pathway for you, that you actually made the pathway. Your performance on the team is, obviously, inspirational, but this legacy that you're taking on right now is, I think, equally important.
Can you share messages, in the last minute, to youth, one about the inequity and the other about how working together as a team we can fix this?
Player Representative, Canadian National Soccer Team Player, Canadian Soccer Player's Association
Well, I think the answers to the questions are related. Being a part of this team has been the honour of my life. There's no other group of people I would want with me for this fight and to stand shoulder to shoulder with.
My message to youth would be to keep training, to keep those dreams alive. We're fighting for them so that when they reach 13, 14, 15 or whatever age, this sport will be in a better place and this national team will be in a better place. They'll probably have different struggles, for sure—we always do—but they won't have this struggle.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Hedy Fry
Thank you, Tim.
We're going to go to Sébastien for two and a half minutes.
Go ahead, please.
Bloc
Sébastien Lemire Bloc Abitibi—Témiscamingue, QC
Thank you, Madam Chair.
I come from a region that is considered remote. Although we account for about 2% of GDP, our main city of Rouyn-Noranda does not have a sports centre with a covered soccer field. Our athletes, especially women's teams, are very successful at the provincial level, but our sports infrastructure is inadequate and it is impossible to play on a field year round.
In your opinion, should we be able to invest more in training centres and sports infrastructure? Should it in fact be a priority to create a national training centre? Should the government be investing in that kind of thing?
Player Representative, Canadian National Soccer Team Player, Canadian Soccer Player's Association
Absolutely.
I think the answer is without a doubt. As national team members we don't get to train in Canada either. We are not in Canada often at all. I said when we landed in Ottawa this morning, this is the first time I've been back in the country since last April, I think it was. It's a matter of ability, like you said. There's one, maybe two, playable grass pitches for us across the country. Obviously weather is something you cannot change, but the way you invest in covered fields, as you said, is. That should absolutely be a non-negotiable when it comes to spending. It's creating opportunity for our youth to train and play year round. That's not the same struggle that countries around the world are facing, because they have the infrastructure, funding and allocation of resources to their youth.
To have a national training centre.... It is a dream of all of ours to be able to use that for the national teams, as well as to enable youth to come in to host tournaments. When you have that kind of place, it opens the door to a lot of opportunity. I think that's absolutely vital for the future of our sport.
Bloc
Sébastien Lemire Bloc Abitibi—Témiscamingue, QC
I would say that the weather is under federal jurisdiction, but perhaps we are in a better position to invest in our infrastructure.
In my few remaining seconds, I want to wish you every success. I think this is one of the most inspiring political moments I have had since I was elected. You are among the best examples of courage and leadership I have had the opportunity to witness in my life. Thank you so much. I hope to see you bring the cup and the gold medal back to Canada.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Hedy Fry
Thank you very much, Sébastien, and I go to Bonita Zarrillo, again, for two and half minutes, please.
Bonita Zarrillo NDP Port Moody—Coquitlam, BC
Thank you so much.
Canadians want a culture change. They really do. From the number of folks who talked to me knowing that I was coming to this committee today, I know people are really excited about what's going to come out of this for women's soccer and our youth.
I wanted to just go back to the callous and flippant attitude that all of you have experienced in relation to this transparency, but also in relation to the cuts. We know that the Canadian women's soccer team is entering into a World Cup with major cuts to the national program for 2023.
I just wanted to ask if anyone could tell me about how they heard of the cuts in the national program. I know some of it's been covered but I would like to hear directly about the cuts to the national program and also about any of the reasoning that you heard around why they need to cut.
I just wanted to hear from you.
Player Representative, Canadian National Soccer Team Player, Canadian Soccer Player's Association
We were made aware of the budget cuts when we arrived at the national team camp in Florida. We could see the impact that those budget cuts were having. As Quinn stated, there were fewer players in camp. There were fewer staff members in camp. We actually had fewer camp days than originally scheduled. These are things that our coach will have planned very, very far in advance, because she has to submit a budget very early on. When we came into camp, she was then able to give us the news that this had happened. She said this was what we could expect, and she said, “As you can see, you're already experiencing some of those things.” That's when we learned. That's when this whole thing really took off.
NDP
Bonita Zarrillo NDP Port Moody—Coquitlam, BC
I just wanted to talk a little, and you don't have to share this, about the emotional struggle of having to go play. Later on, when you were having these conversations and these negotiations back and forth, you went on the pitch for the game.
Can you tell us about that? What goes through a person's mind?
Player Representative, Canadian National Soccer Team Player, Canadian Soccer Player's Association
We are all competitors. We went into that tournament wanting to play, but I think the four of us here have been the ones in all these phone calls and meetings, and it has taken its toll on the four of us. At one point I asked our head coach to sub me after a minute, just to prove a point. As we all stated, we were playing those games under protest.
You step on the field. You're representing Canada. We're all so proud to be Canadian and to wear that maple leaf, but those were hard games. That was a hard camp.
Liberal
Conservative
Marilyn Gladu Conservative Sarnia—Lambton, ON
Thank you, Chair.
I think we've heard a lot of disturbing things today. The most disturbing for me is that federal funding is going to an organization that clearly is not delivering pay equity or support equity. I would call on the Minister of Sport to use her position to correct that, but in addition to that, I think there are other opportunities. The federal government could pay attention to the points that were made today about youth and the importance of making sure that Canada is well positioned for the future. That would be the second thing.
We are also, as part of our safe sport study, hearing testimony of sexual, emotional and verbal abuse across different sports. We don't hear about this in every sport, but I wonder if you could give me an indication of where you think soccer is on that spectrum. Are you seeing those issues? If not, what are the best practices that are preventing that?
Player Representative, Canadian National Soccer Team Player, Canadian Soccer Player's Association
We have obviously seen struggles with it in our sport in the past, and the mistreatment or the mishandling of that situation for far too long.
I'll speak on behalf of our team when I say, with the women's national team, we have always had—since I've been on the team—a fantastic group of people working as our staff and as our teammates. They have always created an environment where we feel safe—where I feel safe, speaking for myself, personally.
We have a very clear culture of morals and values that we all share and that ring true for all of us. I think all these players next to me would agree that when you walk into our team environment, there's a vibe. There's an ambiance of positivity and family orientation, as well as an expectation of operating at the highest level in a high-performance environment. That's something that has had to be created over a long period of time. I would say that's created by the human beings who are in our environment, by the education we have been given and by the fact that we've chosen to go towards this as athletes, as women and as humans.
We've done some education as a team, in the past, on issues that our society faces. One thing that should absolutely be in place for all sporting teams in Canada is mandatory education on abuse, gender equality, openness, discrimination and those kinds of things. Our team has always been a very shining light in that regard, but there have absolutely been issues with those topics in Canada Soccer and across the country.
Conservative
Marilyn Gladu Conservative Sarnia—Lambton, ON
Thank you very much. It's good to hear that it's not the situation that we're hearing about in other sports. Certainly, you are all quite an inspirational crowd.
Just in the last couple of minutes that I have here, is there anything else you would recommend to us, as the federal government, that we could do to further support you?
Player Representative, Canadian National Soccer Team Player, Canadian Soccer Player's Association
No, I think everything has been said.
Conservative
Marilyn Gladu Conservative Sarnia—Lambton, ON
Good, then we will continue to shine a light. As we have seen with some of the other organizations, things change, and we look forward to seeing Canada Soccer, as well as this deal that goes out to 2037, being revisited to get some equity for the players.
Thank you, Chair.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Hedy Fry
Thank you, Marilyn.
Before I go to Michael Coteau for five minutes, we have this room until half past the hour, so we could potentially have one more round, if you want. I'm going to put this to you, because I don't know what your commitments are after this meeting.
Liberal
Michael Coteau Liberal Don Valley East, ON
Thank you very much, and thank you so much to the witnesses for being here. It's a pleasure to have you here, and it's a very enlightening conversation.
I was in the not-for-profit sector before I got involved in politics. For every single not-for-profit, there are rules that are put out that you have to have complete transparency through audited statements.
You're saying that you have no access to any audited statements by Canada Soccer? There's nothing that's produced that shows exactly where the money is spent?
Player Representative, Canadian National Soccer Team Player, Canadian Soccer Player's Association
Their audited financial statements are available in March.