Good morning, it's an honour for me to be here. As Lindsay mentioned, I am a father of two young girls, ages 10 and seven. On a daily basis I observe the challenges our community faces in creating opportunities for these children to be active. The Canadian 24-hour movement guidelines for children and youth recommend at least one hour of physical activity per day and two hours or less of recreational screen time. Despite the fact that my girls are very active and compete in multiple sports, my wife and I still struggle with limiting their screen time.
In Canada, 82% of adults and 65% of children are not active enough. This physical inactivity costs the Canadian health care system over $4.3 billion each year. Participation in sport leads to better health and greater productivity. It builds character and self-esteem in our children and youth, strengthens our communities and helps develop the tools necessary to be a positive contributor to our society.
Sport participation can be particularly important for new Canadians, who can use it to help them integrate into our Canadian society and learn our Canadian culture.
I chose to pursue sport because I love to be active, to feel healthy, and most importantly, to feel part of a team. I feel so blessed and fortunate that sport has always been a significant part of my life.
I hope for my daughters' sake that our national sport organizations will be awarded this additional funding. It will allow our NSOs to reach more children and more youth and continue to build a safe sport system where Canadians of all backgrounds and abilities can access the benefits of values-based sports.