Health Committee on Oct. 17th, 2006

[Michael Chong, Conservative, Wellington—Halton Hills, ON]

Thank you for your question.

I will answer in English because I can give you more information in English in answer to your question.

To answer your first question about child poverty, we haven't finalized the structure of the tax credit, but that will be made known in the next two months by the Department of Finance and the Canada Revenue Agency. We don't know exactly how it's going to be structured, but what I can tell you is that we are very aware of the challenges facing parents who are in disadvantaged groups, and of the high cost of participating in some of these sport activities, such as hockey. Hockey is a very expensive sport. It's expensive for municipalities to maintain arenas; it's also expensive to buy equipment, especially for somebody who has a young child who is outgrowing his pantalons every two months. I could tell you that hockey equipment is very expensive to buy every couple of years, with rapidly growing children.

That's why I've said before that we believe in partnering with Canadian Tire. We've provided them with core operational funding of $250,000 a year, and they've used that money to then raise, through a variety of partnerships, $5 million a year. This year alone, they will spend over $5 million purchasing equipment for kids across the country. To date, about 35,000 children have been recipients of this equipment.

It's done by the local dealer network. There are plenty of Canadian Tire dealers in the province of Quebec. It's got the widest reach, and as a matter of fact, it's probably got a wider reach than any government or any private sector company. There are close to 500 Canadian Tire stores throughout Canada; this company has an unbelievable reach, and they've used their dealer network to get into the communities to deliver help for children who are in disadvantaged groups.

With respect to ParticipACTION, you cited some statistics regarding the increase of obesity while the program was in effect. As the member for St. Paul's mentioned earlier, it's difficult to assess what the result would have been--what the increase in obesity would have been--had the program not been in effect. In other words, we did not have a control group that was outside the population, a group for whom the program wasn't in effect.

These kinds of public policy initiatives are often hard to quantify and to analyze, but what I can point to, by all accounts--from the information I've received and the information I've read--is the public policy with respect to anti-smoking campaigns. It's been very effective; it's been looked to as a model to decrease smoking rates among different groups in the population, and that's the model I've looked to in terms of tackling some of the challenges we face with physical activity.

[The Chair, Conservative, Rob Merrifield]

Thank you very much.

Mr. Fletcher, you have five minutes.

[Steven Fletcher, Conservative, Charleswood—St. James—Assiniboia, MB]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I'd like to thank the minister for taking time out of his busy schedule to come before the committee. I didn't realize that the minister was a rugby player. They have quadriplegic rugby, and perhaps we should play sometime, Minister. I'll even give you a handicap.

In regard to the tax credit, I've heard a lot from my constituents that the tax credit has really been very helpful to them and that they are encouraged to enrol their kids in more sport. Could you comment on the scope of the types of sports that would be involved?

Also--and this may be for both Silken and the minister--if there are more kids involved in sport, what impact does that have on elite sports? Since Sport Canada invests a lot in elite sports as well, what impact will that have on community-based sports? What is the synergy there?

[Michael Chong, Conservative, Wellington—Halton Hills, ON]

Through you, Mr. Chair, to the member, I can answer the first part of your question; I will defer the question of the role of elite athletes to the four-time Olympian here, as to the role model they can play.

With respect to the tax credit--and I think this may, in addition, answer the question of the member for St. Paul's with regard to what evidence or research we have to put in place this tax credit--the finance department has done an analysis on this and has estimated that this tax credit could cost the federal treasury up to $160 million a year when it's implemented.

Sometimes these numbers get especially large. The way I like to look at this number is that it's the equivalent of an investment into children's fitness and sports of $500,000 into each Canadian community of 100,000 people. It's a significant investment, and one that we believe will have a huge impact.

We haven't finalized the structure of the credit and the list of fees that will be eligible, but the government has struck a three-person panel. Each person has been paid an honorarium of $1 to consult with stakeholders across the country.

The panel is made up of Dr. Kellie Leitch, chief/chair of pediatric surgery at the University of Western Ontario, an esteemed Canadian doctor and a success story; Dave Bassett, from Vancouver, who is involved in amateur sport out there; and Michael Weil, president of the YMCA of Montreal. It's an esteemed panel. They've been travelling the country. They've been receiving hundreds of submissions and suggestions as to what fees should be eligible. I want to emphasize that this investment is not just for sport; it's for sport and physical activity, and it will allow parents to recoup some of the costs for children under 16.

We think it's going to make a tremendous impact. To put this in perspective, Sport Canada spends about $143 million a year on its programming, including support for Olympians and support for participation. This tax credit, when fully estimated, could cost up to $160 million a year--in other words, an investment larger than the entire investment we put into Sport Canada every year. So we think it's going to make a tremendous impact, and I'm quite excited about it.

I'll pass the second question, about role models, on to Silken.

[Silken Laumann]

Sport is a good thing. It increases physical activity and certainly can add value to children's lives, but I think it's important for the sport we play in our communities to reflect the values we hold within our communities, so that our community sport speaks to things like fairness and inclusion and is a great experience to children.

I know there's an organization out of Ottawa here, a national program called True Sport, that addresses and challenges communities to create the kind of sport in their communities that is a positive experience for kids, because some sport experiences can be negative experiences for kids. I think we need to really pay attention to that.

There is a worldwide trend of obesity and inactivity, and there is lots of talk in the elite athlete community about how that is decreasing performance and world records in track and field. This is not just North American; we're seeing it in track and field in Europe. I had a discussion in this regard just recently.

If we want to keep producing great athletes, does it matter that our kids are active? Absolutely, because it's a continuum. I started off my elite athletic training by riding my bicycle and walking to school and hacking around a lot, and eventually, at the age of 17, found the sport of rowing and found my passion. I think there is a very strong correlation between how many kids are active and our ability to produce top-level athletes in the long term.

[The Chair, Conservative, Rob Merrifield]

Thank you very much.

I'll have to correct the record as well--a four-time Olympian. When you have over three, what's another one here or there?

We certainly appreciate you as a role model to the country, and it's staggering, actually, when you think of what you have accomplished, so thank you very much.

Ms. Priddy, you have five minutes.

[Penny Priddy, NDP, Surrey North, BC]

Thank you. Thank you, everybody, for being here.

My first question is to the minister, because I assume we'll get other opportunities with Silken Laumann.

In the $500 that is being spent, do we have a baseline, and will we have a way of knowing whether the $500 is being spent by parents who could not previously enter their children into sport, or whether the $500 is being spent by parents who already are spending the $500 to put their children in sport? Could we end up, then, with no new children enrolled in a program because they still cannot afford that money?

I heard Mr. Fletcher say lots of people have been calling him. They've been calling me too, but in my riding they don't like it, because it's not going to make a difference for very many people, so I think a whole group of folks are being left out.

I want also to suggest that the issue of poverty and the fact that it will be impossible for people to do this.... They are often the children who need it the most, because some percentage of overweight children are overweight because they live in poverty and their parents can only afford high-calorie food.

So I'd like to know about the baseline; I'd like to know how you're going to know if we're spending on the same kids who are currently playing. I'll stop there.

And I have one more question on the aboriginal money. How much is for the already skilled athletes and how much is to encourage children? How does the $12 million break down?

[Michael Chong, Conservative, Wellington—Halton Hills, ON]

I thank the member for her questions.

I'll try to address the first one, which was about generally how we are going to measure this and, if I understood correctly, how we are going to deal with children from disadvantaged groups.

The first thing I want to say before I go into that, though—and I think Silken will attest to this as well—is that what's important here is physical activity in sport. It doesn't always have to be organized physical activity, and it doesn't always have to be organized sport. A lot of these activities simply don't cost any money. We're talking about encouraging children just to go out there and play, to get off the PlayStation and out to the playground, to be physically active for twenty to thirty minutes a day, in unstructured play. So it doesn't always have to involve great sums of money or organized sport. That's just the first thing I want to say.

[Silken Laumann]

I agree.

[Michael Chong, Conservative, Wellington—Halton Hills, ON]

However, certainly there's a need for organized sport. With respect to that, one of the measures that we do have is Statistics Canada's collection of statistics on obesity rates. StatsCan also collects statistics on physical activity, and what I can tell you is that these are some of the metrics by which we can measure performance. However, as I mentioned earlier when one of your colleagues asked the question, it's often difficult to ascertain the impact of programs because there's no control group outside of the general population with which you can make direct measurements.

I think there's a general consensus that the anti-smoking campaign was successful. In terms of the actual metrics on physical fitness rates and obesity rates, though, those are things we can look to. There's no control group, to be certain, but at least there are some statistics that we can take a look at and analyze.

With respect to disadvantaged children, as I mentioned before, our government provides JumpStart, which is the program that Canadian Tire has, with $250,000 in its core operational funding. They've leveraged that public investment by raising another $5 million this year alone to help children from disadvantaged groups in terms of equipment and the like.

I believe your last question had to do with aboriginal funding. What I can tell you is that I, as minister, have increased funding for aboriginal participation in sport by 40% in the last nine months. We are spending a significant amount of money for aboriginal participation in sport, and it will amount to close to $20 million over the next five years—and that's just on the participation side.

[Penny Priddy, NDP, Surrey North, BC]

Does that include supporting already skilled disabled athletes to go further, or is that for little people?

[Michael Chong, Conservative, Wellington—Halton Hills, ON]

This is for aboriginal participation in the sport community. This is in addition to the money that we provide for national sport organizations and for elite athletes. It is simply to encourage, to facilitate aboriginal participation in sport. It's a significant investment.

[Penny Priddy, NDP, Surrey North, BC]

Albeit their own sports, sports that they may choose within their own culture?

[Michael Chong, Conservative, Wellington—Halton Hills, ON]

It's being done through a variety of different mechanisms. I'd be more than happy to provide the breakdown for you.

[Penny Priddy, NDP, Surrey North, BC]

I would like that. Thank you.

[The Chair, Conservative, Rob Merrifield]

Thank you very much.

We've had our first round, and now we're going to go to the last witness. We'll ask Rod Jacobs if he would testify, and then we'll pick up the questioning from where we left off.

Minister, I know you have to excuse yourself soon, so we won't be offended if you have to run away.

Perhaps we can ask if the officials can stay for the questioning. One can stay? Okay.

Mr. Jacobs, the floor is yours.

[Rod Jacobs, Manager, Aboriginal Sport Development, Aboriginal Sport Circle]

[Witness speaks in his native language]

I'm Rod Jacobs, from Walpole Island First Nation, here in Ontario. I thank the Creator for giving me this opportunity. I also thank and acknowledge the traditional territories that we're in, which are those of the Algonquin people.

I want to thank everyone for giving us the opportunity to speak here today on this very important matter. But first, before I begin, I want to start by letting you know my father will die of obesity—and I'll get back to that.

As you know, obesity is related to many health risks in Canada. Over 50% of children and youths are either overweight or obese. This is one of the many factors that leave aboriginals vulnerable to a host of other health problems, such as cardiovascular disease, gall bladder disease, joint disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes. Aboriginal people have a prevalence of diabetes up to five times higher than the general population of Canada. This in turn leads to a host of other chronic health issues.

In my language, niiyaw maajiishkaa means “to have an active body”. That's one of the things we practise. But you all know this, and you have many experts at your disposal to help understand why this is the case. Suffice it to say that obesity is just one of the suite of health challenges faced by aboriginal peoples. In fact, aboriginals as a population don't score well on many of the key determinants of health: employment and working conditions, income and social status, education and literacy, health services, and healthy child development, just to name a few.

The challenges are bigger than any of us. They are a vast and complex puzzle that require comprehensive and steadfast attention on many fronts. For this, there is no one solution. The Aboriginal Sport Circle has its part to play.

The circle is comprised of thirteen provincial and territorial aboriginal sport bodies. We were incorporated back in 1997. We have been working for ten years to develop the mechanisms for aboriginal sport and recreation that provide one small piece of the puzzle. We know sport and recreation provide an avenue for healthy, active lifestyles for all ages, and they are a good way to counter obesity and being overweight. What some people don't know is that sport and recreation also provide other essential elements for people's well-being.

Effective sport and recreation programs provide a vehicle for development of personal skills and self-esteem. They build community fabric, they underlie cultural connection and creative expression, and they counteract boredom and provide healthy alternatives for our youth. They teach teamwork and leadership and provide a place to belong. Sport and recreation have been used effectively for social development, crime prevention, substance abuse recovery, social inclusion, relief for young mothers, and a safe haven when one is needed. Where recreation directors and coaches exist, there are role models and an avenue for communication, for education about healthy eating and dealing with racism, for setting goals and reaching them.

In short, a community that is building a sport and recreation capacity is doing far more than providing active outlets for its kids. Powerful medicine is what we're dealing with.

We're dealing with a powerful medicine that comes from our traditional teachings of the medicine wheel that encompass the spiritual side of us, the emotional side of us, the mental side of us, and the physical side of us. As one, when we complete the circle, that medicine heals. It doesn't put a band-aid on anything; it heals us from the inside.

In February 2000, a national recreation round table on aboriginal/indigenous peoples was held in Maskwachees, Alberta. The delegates created the Maskwachees Declaration, which I'll read now: “Sustainable commitment and investment in active living, physical activity, physical education, recreation and sport are essential to promote health and address social issues facing Aboriginal/Indigenous Peoples in communities across Canada.” This still rings true.

Our path is a long one. We have been grateful for the ongoing support of Sport Canada in the development of the aboriginal sport policy. We recognize that it is important that we achieve meaningful inclusion in Canada within sport and recreation. Sport Canada has provided leadership among the FPT ministers of sport and recreation across the country, and these ministers have given aboriginal sport and recreation their attention over the past two years, but there is still more work to be done.

Further to this, we need to develop our PTs: our provincial and territorial aboriginal sport bodies need to be developed, as well as our grassroots. There is more work to be done in furthering that capacity; they can be provided the resources that will sustain them. We believe in doing that through our traditional teachings.

Our communities know the power of sport and recreation, particularly for our children and youth. Many communities have demonstrated their commitment by diverting their own scarce resources from other priorities into recreation directors and programming, but in many more that has not been possible. Many of our recreation directors are coming from other priorities—from our health budgets, from our education budgets, from our justice budgets. Government doesn't put its focus on recreation directors in our communities, which would help eliminate the obesity. If we invested time and money where the root source is, we would eliminate obesity; we'd have fewer bills, we'd have fewer health, education, and justice problems in our communities.

What is the role of Health Canada and INAC? To date, these ministries have been not particular partners in advancing aboriginal sport and recreation, but as we said before, there are many pieces to the puzzle, and we are one of them. We acknowledge the work being done for our communities in the spheres of education and public health, but we would willingly accept help in these two spheres, which are natural complements to our own, particularly in the area of health promotion. The pathway to greater health for each community will depend on all three of us working together.

The long-term athlete development model developed by Sport Canada takes a lifelong approach to sport. Our communities' past traditions have taken that same approach. We were going and coming, and there was always physical activity; sport has always been part of our lives, as well as recreation.

You asked the ASC here today to talk about obesity. Perhaps we've stretched your patience by extending our response to a wider perspective. We believe that healthier weights come from healthier lifestyles and that lifestyles are both environmentally and culturally based. In expanding the aboriginal sport and recreation movement, we can make a difference by drawing on traditional lifestyles, cultural practices, and holistic attitudes towards life. A happy, healthy community that laughs and plays together is perfectly consistent with aboriginal traditions, and it contributes much more than healthier weights.

This past year our national aboriginal hockey championships—which the director general, Tom Scrimger, attended—were aired live on the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network. They were among the most successful sporting programs they have ever had on the television. The championships drew the largest viewership, and because of that the network wants to continue to work on sport with us in the Aboriginal Sports Circle. We mention this because, between those 600 male and female athletes who come to our championships, there are another 1,000 at least in each of the provinces and territories who are striving to reach that goal, striving to participate.

We turn our attention to the North American Indigenous Games, which Ms. Tina Keeper is well familiar with, where we see her. It's so important to see the 5,000 or so athletes parading on the field, because sport and recreation means something to them. They have a goal, they become healthier, and they strive for that.

We point out these things because we see that these activities within aboriginal sport and recreation are very important and are powerful medicine for us to heal a hurting nation.

I talked about my dad when I began, because he will die. He will die of heart disease; he's obese. He comes to that although seven generations ago our people were strong. Our people were very strong. We gave up a lot, and now it's time for us to get that back.

Our people have told us to think seven generations ahead. Obesity will not be a problem in our communities, because we will fight it. My dad will die, but his memory will live on in his grandchildren, because he instilled values into my heart and into the heart of our youth. That's what we're here for: to eliminate those problems.

[Witness continues in native language]

[The Chair, Conservative, Rob Merrifield]

Thank you for your presentation. It is a complex issue we're dealing with, and it's refreshing to hear first nations peoples and ask them for their thoughts on the matter. You're absolutely right: therein lies some of the solutions.

Mr. Batters.

[Dave Batters, Conservative, Palliser, SK]

I want to thank the minister for being here today.

To all our presenters, thank you very much for your recommendations. They will help us greatly in writing our report on childhood obesity, which is a critical issue facing this country. Thank you also for the public awareness opportunity that this provides us today. A lot of this issue can be combated with education. We're fortunate to have this meeting televised today, and many Canadians will be watching at home. By watching this meeting, parents may think about how they can get their kids to shut off the TV and the computers and get outside to play.

Your message, Ms. Laumann, is certainly a good one.

I would also like to take this opportunity to trumpet the example that you quoted from Rouleau, Saskatchewan, the example of a “play in the school” night. Last year on Wednesday nights, they played in the school, with teachers and parents joining people of all ages. This is in the great riding of Palliser, my riding. It's better known as Dog River, where the hit TV show “Corner Gas” is filmed. I wanted to trumpet that example, and I'll be following up with those people when I get back home.

I think decision-makers must make fitness a priority in our schools. If this message isn't delivered in our report, we will have missed the boat. When I was in elementary school, we had daily physical education. We had intramural sports, which was a big part of being a kid, and some of my fondest memories are of intramural sports at school. I believe I heard the minister hint that he wants to bring back the Canada fitness program, with the different badges—gold, silver, bronze. Canadians will remember this from school: the flexed arm hang, endurance runs, and the little relays with bean bags. This was excellent for promoting physical fitness and for getting the kids to play. It was also a way to have more active kids and aspiring Olympians.

In my riding of Palliser, a hot topic is the building of a multiplex fitness facility in Moose Jaw. Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, wants to build this multiplex. It will include a hockey rink, curling rinks, an indoor soccer facility, and a walking track, which will certainly be beneficial in -40 Celsius weather. I know that provincial and territorial ministers met with Minister Chong and also Minister Clement, the Minister of Health regarding the infrastructure deficit that exists in this country. I'm wondering how those discussions are proceeding.

What is your department, the sports department, doing in conjunction with the Ministry of Health to push this issue forward? What is on the horizon in respect of infrastructure funding for health and fitness in Canada?

[Jacques Paquette, Associate Deputy Minister, International and Intergovernmental Affairs and Sports, Department of Canadian Heritage]

Those questions are more for a minister than for officials, in a way. There was a meeting in June with FPT and the Minister for Sport, and the infrastructure issue was discussed at length. At that time, Minister Chong said that Minister Cannon was conducting consultations with all the provinces and territories to identify the priorities for this new envelope that has been announced for the coming four years. Depending on the result of this consultation, a decision will be taken. At the moment, we're waiting to see the results of the consultations with the provinces. As you know, Sport Canada doesn't have an infrastructure program. This resides under Minister Cannon.

[The Chair, Conservative, Rob Merrifield]

Ms. Keeper, five minutes.

[Tina Keeper, Liberal, Churchill, MB]

I'd like to thank Mr. Jacobs for his presentation. It is indeed part of our effort on this study to ensure that we have the voice of aboriginal people.

I really want to thank you.

[Member speaks in her native language]

When you talk about our people in terms of physical strength and health, which were traditional to who we were, I have to mention that my grandfather was an Olympic athlete. He actually ran in the 1912 Olympics. When he ran in that event, he ran against two other native American athletes. So indeed that has been instilled in me through my family--the life on the land, and certainly the physical and well-being that were traditional. I really appreciate the information you gave us, especially around sport, an activity that your organization is involved with.

Also, I would like to thank the different sectors that have to be involved as we move forward on this issue. I'd like to direct my question, though, to Silken Laumann.

In your background as an Olympic athlete, you had an opportunity--which is rare, obviously--to participate with other elite athletes from around the world. I would like to ask your thoughts in terms of what a country needs to do. Are there countries that have had exceptional programs, or exceptional commitments to their youth, to physical activity, that maybe you're not seeing here in Canada?

[Silken Laumann]

It's a great question, and it's one I'll answer conservatively, because I don't know a whole lot about what's going on in every country. I know some great examples are Australia and Norway. In Norway, physical activity is a way of life. People cross-country ski to school, they walk, and they really integrate activity in a way that we were doing 20 years ago. They don't seem to have the same challenges around fear. In our communities, we have so much fear around letting our children out of our sight. I think we've done an outstanding job of keeping our children safe over the last decade and a really bad job of keeping our children well. Some of that is around our own personal comfort zones about letting our children out of our sight.

We need to create safe places for our children to play in our communities that won't cost anything. We're promoting an idea called “play in the park”, which any community can do; 72% of Canadians live within a kilometre of a park, which is an amazing statistic. I got that from Mark Tremblay, actually--from some of his material. It doesn't take a lot of effort to get a couple of neighbours together to supervise a park one night a week so that children can enjoy unstructured activity. Then the whole neighbourhood starts to find out about it, and you can imagine some of the initiatives that can grow from there.

With respect to your question, there are some countries that never seem to lose that connection to the outdoors and to the unstructured play that our culture is certainly in danger of losing altogether and certainly has lost significantly in the last 20 years.

By the way, that 20 years actually gives me hope. That tells me that this is not a long-standing cultural norm and that we as Canadians actually know how to play, how to do sport, and how to be physically active. We just have to re-educate ourselves about the importance of it, and we have to make it a priority.

[Tina Keeper, Liberal, Churchill, MB]

Have you personally seen a change in terms of our commitment to athletes over, say, the last 15 years or something like that?

[Silken Laumann]

To athletes, or to physical activity initiatives? To both?