Subcommittee on Sports-Related Concussions in Canada Committee on April 3rd, 2019

[Randy Ambrosie]

I'd start, humbly, by saying I am not a doctor nor am I a scientist. I have a Bachelor of Commerce honours degree, and if we want to talk about dissecting a balance sheet, I'd be your guy.

I think what we're attempting to do is follow the science. We're talking to some of the leading—if not the leading—scientists in Canada. We're talking to and spending time with the leading scientists in the world. We're working hard. I say this without hesitation. I'm personally working hard to read every report I can read and to attend every conference that I can make time for to better understand this issue.

If I may, what scientists are telling us is, yes, there have been hockey players and football players who have been diagnosed with CTE. That is a fact. But there are thousands and thousands and thousands of football players and hockey players who have played the game without having CTE. In fact, Dr. Lili-Naz Hazrati, a Canadian neuroscientist, published a report on an autopsy of a woman who, to the best of her family's recollection, had never played sports in her life and had never suffered a concussion, and yet her brain was riddled with CTE.

This is all to say it is a very complicated issue. I'm really not able to be an authority on this subject, so I am just simply following the science.

[Cheryl Hardcastle, NDP, Windsor—Tecumseh, ON]

If I may follow up, then, my time is more limited than that of the other members on the committee, so bear with me.

Do you feel as if that response, though, is sufficient now, given that every year that goes by we have substantive evidence and substantive science that adds to that. You mentioned the Berlin conference. It was cutting edge. We've had witnesses that tell us that Canada punches above its weight. The NFL is putting significant investments into vanguard scientists who are Canadian, out of Calgary. I'm just wondering if the CFL has committed to contributing to advancing the science, and if so, in what way. Has it been helping with a brain registry, or has it been funding...? Perhaps you could tell us some of the ways you think you'll be able to contribute if you can't match dollar for dollar what the NFL is doing, and I understand that.

[Randy Ambrosie]

If I may, Mr. Shamie has just provided me with a list of the research projects we're currently involved in.

We're in the process of completing a two-year study with CFL players to investigate progressive active rehabilitation techniques in player recovery from concussion. This international study is being led by research from the University of North Carolina and is funded by the National Football League.

We're doing preliminary research to look into the impact of learning disabilities on the prevalence of concussions.

We participated in the King-Devick test research, where our findings were presented at the last International Conference on Concussion in Sport, which took place in Berlin in October 2016.

We're involved in a joint education research study with the CFLPA to learn more about concussions and athletes' understanding of the symptoms and their behaviours with respect to reporting concussions. That was conducted by McGill University.

We attended and presented research findings at the fifth International Conference on Concussion in Sport and made presentations to the 2018 International Collision Sports Conference in London.

[Cheryl Hardcastle, NDP, Windsor—Tecumseh, ON]

Can we maybe have that list tabled for the committee, then?

[Randy Ambrosie]

Absolutely, yes.

[Cheryl Hardcastle, NDP, Windsor—Tecumseh, ON]

It would be great if you could do that.

Do you think you might join the NFL in its research?

[Randy Ambrosie]

We are constantly talking with and working with the NFL on a whole number of projects.

[Cheryl Hardcastle, NDP, Windsor—Tecumseh, ON]

Do you think there's a government role in orchestrating those kinds of joint ventures, or something, or being a part of that? Do you see potential there, or would you rather see the government involved in something separate and let the sporting community do their thing? I heard you kind of saying you want us to work together, but then I kind of hear....

Maybe you could clarify that or help us understand how you think our role can advance understanding.

[Randy Ambrosie]

I apologize if I'm sending any mixed signals. We would actively welcome the government in supporting our efforts on research. We would. Just as football is a team sport, finding a safer environment for sport is also a team effort.

[Cheryl Hardcastle, NDP, Windsor—Tecumseh, ON]

Absolutely. You're talking about culture. What do you believe is the role of officiating in that culture? I heard you talk about rule changes. In other sports, we hear people say, “Let them play,” or, “That was an illegal hit. Why is that player not on the bench?” There are all kinds of examples.

Tell me a bit about the role of officiating in your culture change, and what you see.

[Randy Ambrosie]

It is an absolutely critical element of creating a safe environment. The game officials on the field are ultimately responsible for the enforcement of the rules. Those rules are designed in large part to keep the players safe.

We spend time every year.... We do training and development with our officials. We do ongoing training with them. They review their game films with members of our league office regularly, to show where there are areas for improvement. I think it is an absolutely critical element of the sport's ecosystem.

Sadly, we need to get more people involved in officiating. There are statistics that would suggest that 80% of everyone who starts a career in officiating leaves at the end of their first season, because they're largely abused and criticized, and it's not fun for them. We have to think about creating a culture for officiating to flourish.

[The Chair, Liberal, Peter Fonseca]

Thank you.

We're going to move back to the Liberals.

Mr. Ellis, you have seven minutes.

[Neil Ellis, Liberal, Bay of Quinte, ON]

I apologize, I don't sit on this committee regularly, so you'll have to bear with some of my questions here today.

I see in your brief you're saying that you are “worried about the ongoing and often singular focus on concussions, magnified by the media and amplified by Hollywood itself.” I think you said that football wasn't the number one sport for a concussion.

What is the number one sport, if it's not football? Do you partner with these other sports agencies to come up with best practices? What are you doing to combat Hollywood?

[Randy Ambrosie]

I was in Edmonton two weeks ago visiting with the team doctor for the Edmonton Eskimos, Dr. Dhiren Naidu. He was sharing with me a report in Alberta, for example, where the number one sport for concussions is girls' ringette. I was surprised by that statistic. What it says is that our team doctors—Dr. Naidu by the way, is a remarkable guy—are very interested and passionate in what's happening in the broader world of sports. That's an example.

I think the question was regarding what we are doing to combat Hollywood.

[Neil Ellis, Liberal, Bay of Quinte, ON]

Yes.

It goes back to your numbers. You say your participation rates are down by 35%. That's drastic. What are you trying or going to do?

[Randy Ambrosie]

We will launch this spring, as part of the launch of our football season, what we'll be calling a “try football” campaign to really encourage Canadian youth to try the game of football. That could be flag football or touch football. It could be simply taking a football to the park and throwing it around with your family and friends. We think just the simple act of getting that football in your hands and throwing your very first spiral will have a powerful effect on drawing people into our sport.

The other part is that we want to start talking about the positive narrative of what the game does for people and how it changes lives. Two weeks ago I was with the Toronto Argonauts. They asked me to make a number of phone calls to amateur football volunteers. I had a chance to speak to a remarkable woman who was telling me about her involvement as a volunteer in amateur football. I said, “May I ask you what got you into football?” She said, “Well, Randy, it's not well known, but my son suffers from depression. We took him to football for the very first time a couple of seasons ago and it completely changed his life.” It completely changed his life. She said, “He is stronger. He loves his teammates. The game of football helped improve the quality of his life. It helped improve the quality of our family's life. It's the happiest place for our family, because it has transformed us.”

We have to start telling those stories about how our game is playing a positive role. I talk about it on a very personal level. I wasn't a very good student for most of my growing up. When I was an elementary school student and a junior high school student, my mother would come home from parent-teacher meetings crying just about every time. It was the game of football that led me to a love of learning, knowing that in order to play at the professional level I would have to become a better student. I walked around high school with one of those old orange dictionaries—some of you might remember it—because I was a terrible speller. I had neglected my studies for so long. It was football that inspired me to become a better student. I graduated with an honours degree in business. Football changed my life.

We know that tens of thousands of those stories are out there and they need to be told. People need to hear that football is a force for transformation. It teaches teamwork. It teaches hard work. It teaches the value of friendship. There are so many lessons to be learned on a football field and in a football locker room. We need to start telling those stories.

[Neil Ellis, Liberal, Bay of Quinte, ON]

It was interesting to hear that you banned full-contact practices during the regular season and injuries went down 35%. Do you have any other ideas like this that you're coming up with or considering to better protect our players?

[Randy Ambrosie]

As I said earlier, this rules committee process...which we haven't completed, because those recommendations will now go to our board for approval. They're all centred on issues relating to player safety and health and how to make the game safer for players. It isn't confined to activities on a football field that would relate to concussions. Some of it is just the way and the flow of the game, making sure that the players are respecting one another and are not doing things that would unnecessarily create a hazardous situation for the players.

I'm happy to report that our players and our players association are active members in that process. Our players are represented in that process. Our coaches are represented in that process. Every year yields new insights into things that we can do to make the game safer for our players.

[Neil Ellis, Liberal, Bay of Quinte, ON]

Thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Peter Fonseca]

We move over now to the Conservatives for our second round.

Mr. Nuttall, you have five minutes.

[Alex Nuttall, Conservative, Barrie—Springwater—Oro-Medonte, ON]

Thank you, Peter.

Thank you for coming today.

There was something in your statement I just wanted to qualify. It was with regard to looking outside of concussions, and that basically—this is a paraphrase, because I don't have it in front of me—this is a small part of a much bigger issue with mental health, etc. Were you saying that directly in relation to concussions, or were you saying that writ large regarding young people and mental health?

[Randy Ambrosie]

I'm not sure I entirely understand your question.

[Alex Nuttall, Conservative, Barrie—Springwater—Oro-Medonte, ON]

Sir, I grew up playing soccer. I've probably had 10 occasions where my mom had to come and wake me up every hour in the middle of the night. I'd go into the hospital; they'd do the concussion check, which was not much back then, and I'd go through the night. It has not been football, and I have nothing against football at all. However, during your statement, it felt a bit like you were talking about the effects of the focus on concussion on football, and the effects of...maybe a feeling that perhaps it shouldn't be concussions we're focusing on but mental health writ large for young people, and football as a tool to help certain people struggling with mental health issues

Sir, I'm not grandstanding because I'm not running again. There's no grandstanding here, but I can tell you that I agree with you on the mental health subject. Our health committee is focusing on the mental health subject. I agree with you on team sports, especially for demographics that don't have access. It is incredibly important. That's actually where I come from.

There is a focus on this because it is a very serious issue. I'm glad to hear the CFL is making changes and has made changes in the past on these items. We're here because there are a lot of people in our ridings who are bringing forward these issues with their young ones, who have been going through this.

Concussion North is in my riding. It's basically a state-of-the-art facility, not because of the building it's in—it's not a very nice building—but because of all of the different doctors they have in place who are volunteering their time to make it happen. As we go through this process, I don't want any sports organizations to feel like they are under attack, but I do want them to take this as seriously as we are.

To me, it felt a little bit like, “Hey, this issue is hurting us a little bit. Maybe we should focus on this other thing over here”, and that's not what I wanted to hear today. I do like hearing some of the other stuff in terms of what you have done, and what you will continue to do, the constant audits, the looking at the research out of the CFL and working with the best Canadian minds. I'm all for that, but I had a real issue with that.

[Randy Ambrosie]

I can promise you I wasn't trying to deflect from the importance of the subject of concussions. That was not my intention at all. In fact, I think we can stand on what is, I hope, obvious: A lot of effort is being made to make the game safer and to take the issue of concussions as seriously as any professional sports organization in the world.

What I was simply saying is that we know there is a connection between mental health and concussion recovery, and we are not doing enough in that field.

[Alex Nuttall, Conservative, Barrie—Springwater—Oro-Medonte, ON]

Do you mean on that portion of the concussion work?

Okay. Perfect.