Canadian Heritage Committee on March 23rd, 2023

[Martin Shields, Conservative, Bow River, AB]

—and I want to go back to that time, a time when you experienced community coaches and community people, and what the school level was that you experienced. I'm not talking about professional coaches. Has it changed from when you were an athlete to now?

[Prof. Bruce Kidd]

It has changed enormously. People like me made the Olympics on the basis of public and community programs that were largely accessible, given the nature of society in those times, and particularly for working-class children. It was mostly for boys. There was nowhere near the access for girls then, but in class terms, it was widely accessible.

My friend Rick Gruneau has written an article on it. Gordie Howe wouldn't make it to the NHL anymore because the costs in the pay-for-play system of Canadian sport are so high that only the upper middle class, with a few exceptions, plays sports. That's one of the big reasons why participation in sport is so low and is dropping like a stone.

We need to restore public programs in municipalities and also in schools, which have been eviscerated by both neo-liberalism and COVID, and we need to provide a much more complex capacity, as panellists have said, to the volunteer community programs, because the expectations today are much, much higher than they were when I was able to develop success in a volunteer community program.

I'd love the idea of—

[Martin Shields, Conservative, Bow River, AB]

You've touched on a very critical piece, the volunteer aspect. I was a coach of my 12-year-old son, because nobody else would do it. My son said, “I can't play unless you coach, dad.” That was it. I find now.... It's been 20 years since I've been out of the school system of coaching, but even then it was a brutally hard job to find people to coach in a school's athletic program for the reasons we've heard today.

How do we change that?

[Prof. Bruce Kidd]

That is correct. The easy answer, which several of us have given, is to put sport in the national health and welfare department where it started, and to invest in it as part of the national health program, because of the resilience and other benefits it provides. Treat it like education, with good facilities, trained teachers, accountable leadership, and concerns about equity in class ratio and other terms.

I don't think this country is ready for that, but there are other countries, like Norway, which have done this very well. We should continue to demand that sport be treated as the public good that it is, rather than private, that if you're rich enough, your parents can buy entry into a league.

Thank you very much, sir. I really appreciate your question and your intent.

[Martin Shields, Conservative, Bow River, AB]

At this time, Madam Chair, I would like to take my last minute to move a motion that has been distributed, in both official languages, to carry out a study of safe sport, addressing a letter we received, which was sent from Fencing for Change Canada to the Minister of Sport.

It has been distributed, so I think we can deal with this quickly, Madam Chair.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

There is a motion on the floor, so I will ask the committee if there is any objection to the motion.

Is anyone opposed to it?

I can't see the floor, so the clerk will let me know if anyone is putting up their hand in opposition.

[The Clerk]

It appears there are thumbs up all around.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

There seems to be unanimity, but could we call the question on the motion, please.

[The Clerk]

On consent, Madam Chair.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

I don't know about the people online. We have Mr. Coteau putting his thumb up, so, yes, we have unanimity.

The motion has passed.

[Sébastien Lemire, Bloc, Abitibi—Témiscamingue, QC]

Madam Chair, can the motion be read again so that everyone can clearly understand what it's about?

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

Mr. Shields.

[Martin Shields, Conservative, Bow River, AB]

I move:

That, in relation to the Committee’s study on Safe Sport in Canada, and given the addressing of an open letter from Fencing for Change Canada to the Minister of Sport regarding allegations of abuse within the Canadian Fencing Federation, the Committee invite members of the Board of Directors of the Canadian Fencing Federation (CFF) to appear before the committee.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

Are you happy with that, Mr. Lemire?

[Sébastien Lemire, Bloc, Abitibi—Témiscamingue, QC]

Yes, Madam Chair. I feel it was important for the motion to be read for the benefit of everyone listening to us.

I think the motion would be improved if we added that the committee requires the Canadian Fencing Association produce its financial statements and minutes of meetings for the past five years.

I would add that, as for Soccer Canada, this motion should not take away from the days already set aside for this study.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

Can you put that in the form of an amendment?

[Sébastien Lemire, Bloc, Abitibi—Témiscamingue, QC]

I move that the motion be amended by adding the following after the words “CFF Independent Safe Sport Official”:

that the committee send for minutes of all board meetings that have taken place since Monday, January 1, 2018, including financial records, including minutes of in camera meetings, whether in approved or draft form and; that the adoption of this motion not interfere with previously scheduled meetings for this study.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

There is an amendment to the motion.

Is there anybody opposed to the amendment?

Mr. Coteau, are you okay with it?

[Michael Coteau, Liberal, Don Valley East, ON]

Sure.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

Is there anybody on the floor who opposes the amendment?

Since no one is opposed, it would seem that the amendment has passed unanimously,

(Amendment agreed to)

So now we will have to go back to vote on the amended motion.

(Motion as amended agreed to)

With your indulgence, we do have Mr. Coteau waiting for his moment in the sun, his five minutes of questions, and then we will end the meeting.

Mr. Coteau, you have five minutes, please.

[Michael Coteau, Liberal, Don Valley East, ON]

Thank you so much, Madam Chair. Thank you for the opportunity.

What Mr. Kidd was saying earlier about seeing sport as a public good really resonated with me. I actually worked with Mr. Kidd on the Pan Am Games when I was responsible for the Pan Am Games in 2015. It was an interesting world that I got exposed to. I was never involved within sport at that kind of level.

I do notice a disconnect between the athletes and those who run sport. I've always believed that sport is one of the great equalizers. It opens up opportunity. As I think Nelson Mandela said, sport can change the world. I truly, truly believe it can. I remember during the Pan Am Games going to a local soccer field at Flemingdon Park in my community and just watching kids play. There's nothing more joyful than seeing young kids actually enjoying what they're doing and youth playing a sport and really enjoying what they're doing.

I just want to say thank you to everyone who's here today, all the witnesses, for the work you do in sport, because it is something that can actually change the world. I believe that 100%.

The issues brought up today are very important, but I do have one question. Throughout this process, speaking as a committee member and an MP and as somebody who believes in the power of sport, there is not much mention, when we talk about safe sport, about the impact of racism in sport. We do have some really, really serious issues that do come forward.

Maybe I'll start with you, Mr. Kidd. When we talk about safe sport, how do racism and discrimination fit into the best practices and what the sport sector is really trying to achieve in creating a more inclusive, diverse and equitable environment for young people and for all people who want to participate in sport?

[Prof. Bruce Kidd]

Racism is a form of harm that is experienced by boys and girls and men and women of colour. It can be a terrible barrier to participation along with class and opportunity barriers.

In the community that I know well, Scarborough, where you continue to serve, it's a huge barrier. I think by broadening the definition of what we don't want to see in sport through the UCCMS, we explicitly label racism as one of the harms that should be eradicated.

[Michael Coteau, Liberal, Don Valley East, ON]

Maybe within your circles it's an issue that is brought up often, but through my experience on this committee, it's not an issue that is brought up often when we talk about safe sport. Why do you think that is? Do you think I'm missing something, or do you think it still needs to be more broadly defined and incorporated into those discussions? Do you have any thoughts on that?

[Prof. Bruce Kidd]

I would suggest that the racial background of Canadian sport, and those who come forward with these horrible stories of abuse, reflects the class and racial character of Canada, even cities, and it's not representative of the racial diversity of Canada today.

[Michael Coteau, Liberal, Don Valley East, ON]

Do I have more time, Madam Chair?