Good morning, welcome to Calgary, and thank you, Mr. Chairman, and members of the committee.
I'll be briefly elaborating on a presentation I submitted in August, a submission that I'm assuming you have received and reviewed. I also alert you that my colleagues in Halifax and Montreal will be delivering a similar message.
This is my first time before the committee, but since I believe so passionately about sport, its role in Canada, and its role in making Canada even better, I decided to bring this perspective forward. Secondly, we were totally forgotten about in Budget 2007 last year, so I felt it necessary to have this conversation today. Thank you for this opportunity.
Briefly, the Canadian Sport Centre is an RCAAA organization, part of a network of sports centres across this country. Every day we work with Canadian athletes and coaches who are preparing to represent Canada at the highest international level. We also connect with athletes from across Alberta, with the other centres from across the country connecting with young, developing, emerging athletes and coaches from every region of Canada: athletes from Calgary, from St. Catharines, from Burlington, from Sherbrooke, from Montreal, from Victoria, from Halifax—as I say, from coast to coast.
I'm firmly convinced of the many values and benefits that accrue to a country when sport is encouraged and supported. First of all, I believe sport inspires excellence, excellence in both doing our best and being our best. That's why I think we need to have a collective focus on allowing our athletes to be excellent. It shows the world that we can compete and be the best.
But perhaps more important than the medal itself is what the medal does. I think we are all inspired by and enjoy watching and being associated with people who are among the best in their chosen field. The pursuit of excellence in itself is a very worthy goal, but it does take a long-term commitment and lots of support over a long period of time. I think Canadians want our athletes to do well and perform well, and they want to see them on the international podium.
As I said, it's what the medal does. I think the medal creates heroes and role models for Canadians, especially for our youth. I think the medal changes people. It changes our attitudes; new behaviours are formed. And people of all ages are inspired and stimulated to get involved, and not necessarily just in sport. I'd like to think our country is unified when the flag flies and O Canada is heard at international events. Our mental health is improved when we celebrate Canadian achievement. I think competing and winning internationally shows Canada that we are a player on the world stage.
Also, I believe involvement in sport develops many other skills that are transferable to the workplace and make us a much more productive society. I think if you were to recall times when Canadians were smiling all at the same time, I contend that most of those examples would be sport related. Whether they're the double gold medals from the 2002 Olympics, whether they're speed skaters like Catriona LeMay Doan or Marc Gagnon, I think those are examples that would have the country inspired at any given moment.
I think there is a need for new investment in sport as it is a public good. It's not a direct benefit to a select few that we're talking about. I think it's an indirect benefit for all Canadians. The outcome is that the taxpayer investment contributes to a public good—a better place to live, a better community, a more active and healthy population, especially in our youth.
Specifically on the sports side, on the winter side we're doing very well. Our performances over the last several Olympic Games have been very good. We're currently second in the world on the winter side. Though it's a fragile position, I think we'll do better in 2010 in both the Olympics and the Paralympics side.
My concern today is on the summer side; it's a totally different story. We're trending in the wrong direction. From a medal standpoint, we've gone from 22 to 14 to 12—obviously not the right direction. It makes no sense to me that we have two different types of athletes in this country, winter and summer, depending on the season in which they choose to compete for Canada.
On the summer side, we're the lowest of the G-8 countries, and we're in the bottom 25% of the G-20 countries when it comes to investment in sport.
For my last comments, I'd like to say that in my August 15 submission I also suggested some investment in infrastructure at Canada Olympic Park. I'd like to just thank the committee and the government for their support. That's been achieved, and we appreciate it very much.
What I ask today is that the committee draft a recommendation to the Minister of Finance. The substance of that recommendation is that the Government of Canada invest $30 million annually—that's basically one dollar per Canadian per year—to implement Canada's summer sport program called the Road to Excellence.
Thank you again, and I look forward to speaking with the committee and entertaining any questions you may have.