Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you so much for coming, Mr. Dryden. It's an honour and a pleasure. Thank you for taking on this initiative; it's an important issue.
I practised emergency medicine. I was an ER doctor for 20 years before going into this line of work. We would see a lot of sports-related injuries, and we would read up on the science behind how to treat them, but also on how to prevent them. I'm sure you know there are certain medical guidelines. Of course, the big one we talk about a lot is around return to play. It's fairly well spelled out. If they don't remember the event but they weren't confused, they're off for an hour or so. The big one is that if there is a loss of consciousness, they're pulled for the season.
I'm glad you're talking about the decision-makers, because sometimes it would be a problem, first of all, getting the science to those who would make the decisions in policy, but the other challenge was enforcement. On more than one occasion, I'd be talking to a young athlete—and this would be someone who is under 18, so there's a parent there helping them make their decisions—and I'd say, “No, you are out for at least two weeks because of this.” But they'd say, “Well, we're in the playoffs. Two weeks and the season's over.” Then I'd say, “I'm very sorry, but you are pulled for the season”, and there would be the same reaction. They'd look at each other, and the athlete would say, “Okay, okay, I'm off for the season”, and I swear I'd see them wink. I know they're going to play, and I have no power to prevent it.
What are the challenges? Those of us who work with the science and know this is what needs to be done, how do we get this filtered in a meaningful way through the decision-makers, and how do we get it enforced?