Mr. Speaker, VANOC is a legal entity separate from all of its government and non-government partners. Decisions on licensing of Olympic and Paralympic marks rest solely with VANOC and with the International Olympic Committee and International Paralympic Committee. The response below reflects information available through public sources, including the VANOC website (www.vancouver2010.com).
Hbc was granted exclusive rights to official licensed products featuring the Canadian Olympic Committee or the Canadian Olympic Team marks and is the exclusive general merchandise retail partner for the distribution of such apparel. As VANOC’s premier national partner, Hbc is also responsible for outfitting the Canadian Olympic Team and Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games volunteers. However, other businesses have received licenses for apparel related to the 2010 Olympic Winter Games and 2010 Paralympic Winter Games marks only through competitive processes announced through VANOC`s website (www.vancouver2010.com).
The Canadian Olympic Committee is entirely responsible for the selection of a clothing supplier for the Canadian Team.
The Government of Canada does not provide any financial contribution to the Canadian Olympic Committee for clothing. In response to previous questions regarding the off shore manufacturing of clothing, we understand that the Canadian Olympic Committee has since revised its 2008 internal policy and consequently 80% of the clothing for the 2010 Olympic team will be manufactured in Canada.