Mr. Chair, I am pleased to speak to the committee of the whole as Secretary of State for Sport on behalf of Canada's new government.
I would like to begin by discussing the government's commitment to strengthening Canadian sport for the benefit of all Canadians and how we are building on these successes.
The government's involvement in sport is directed by the Physical Activity and Sport Act and is informed by the Canadian sport policy, which has been endorsed by the federal government as well as all provincial and territorial governments.
The government is committed to establishing Canada as a leading sport nation at home and abroad, where all Canadians and their communities can enjoy the benefits of active participation and excellence in sport.
Canada's new government understands the importance of supporting sport at all levels from the grassroots to the Olympic and Paralympic excellence. The government is the single largest investor in Canadian sport, with more than $140 million a years.
The foundation of our success is a planned and strategic approach to strengthening sport in Canada. We have developed and implemented a long term athlete development model called “Canadian Sport for Life”, which delivers an integrated framework to further coordination and collaboration between governments and organizations working in sport. We have also renewed the federal-provincial-territorial priorities for collaborative action through to 2012.
Through these policies aimed at improving partnerships, Canada is well poised to build on its success for an even stronger, more successful sport system in the future.
I will say a few words about our four major pillars of the Canadian sport policy.
First is participation. More and more Canadians are getting involved in quality sport activities at all levels and through all forms of participation. The long term result of this participation will be healthier lifestyles and an improved quality of life for everyone. Over the last year and a half Canada's new government has significantly increased the amount of opportunities for Canadians to participate in sport.
For example, the children's fitness tax credit has been in effect since January 1. This allows parents to claim a tax credit of up to $500 of eligible expenses related to sport and physical activity programs for their children under the age of 16. This helps promote physical fitness and sports among our children and youth which is critical to the present and future health of our society.
Also we have relaunched the award winning ParticipACTION program with a contribution of $5 million over two years. ParticipACTION is partnering with media, business, labour, education, volunteer organizations and physical activity and sport groups to support the efforts of national, provincial and territorial governments to strongly encourage a more active and healthy Canada.
We have also collaborated with the Canadian Fitness and Lifestyle Research Institute to improve understanding of sport and physical activity trends in Canada. The findings that result from this collaboration will help inform our future policy decisions in sport and make Canada a globally recognized leader in physical activity and healthy well-being.
Finally, we have implemented two new policy guidelines, the policies on sport for persons with a disability and the aboriginal people's participation in sport. These two initiatives provide frameworks to improve equity and access to quality sport opportunities for these two under represented groups in Canadian sport.
Our second pillar and major goal in Canadian sport policy is excellence. It is clear we have an expanding pool of talent in Canadian athletes who are achieving great results on the world stage. As we look forward to hosting the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in Vancouver, the government has established strategic initiatives to ensure that Canada has the proper conditions to achieve success in amateur sport.
Canadian take great pride in Canadian successes. That is why Canada's new government has worked with the Canadian Olympic committee, Canadian Paralympic committee and the Vancouver organizing committee for the 2010 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games to create Podium Canada.
This initiative is aimed at the strategic focus of resources for high performance funding to support Canada's medal count. Through Own the Podium, our government's support for targeted excellence includes $12 million for summer sports and $11 million for winter sports.
Another aspect of our drive for excellence is the athlete assistance program which provides direct tax free grants to 1,700 Canadian high performance athletes each year, assisting them in meeting, training and competitive requirements.
It is clear that we are on the right track to meet our goals. In 2006-07, Canada was second only to Germany on the winter sport World Cup competition circuit. As well, Canada was third at the last Winter Olympics and sixth at the Winter Paralympics in Torino.
Through clear policy initiatives like those I have described, Canada's new government aims to improve on these finishes in 2010.
Our third pillar and major goal is to build capacity for sport across Canada.
This government has put in place an athlete and participant-centred development system in order to strengthen the technical and ethical foundations of sport. We are hosting events to provide important opportunities for athletes to train and compete, as well as to develop the capacities and skills of coaches, technical officials and volunteers.
Each year Canada supports the hosting of over 50 international single sports events such as the 2007 women's world ice hockey championships held in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Our government is also supporting the hosting of the 2007 FIFA men's soccer under-20 world cup in July.
In addition to supporting these exciting events, this government is a major contributor to the Canada Games. This event is an outstanding example of federal, provincial and territorial cooperation, the pinnacle of interprovincial-territorial competition, and a key event for the next generation of Canadian athletes, coaches and leaders.
February 2007 was the 40th anniversary of the Canada Games. To celebrate this achievement, the games were hosted in Whitehorse, Yukon, the first time they had ever been hosted north of the 60th parallel. More than 3,200 athletes competed in 22 sports, with Sport Canada contributing over $37 million to the success of this event.
Canada's new government also recognizes the importance and the contribution of coaches so that Canadian athletes have access to quality, innovative instruction and coaching. Competency based coach education and improving working conditions for coaching are just two ways to strengthen the important role coaches play in sport.
Finally, this government is respected worldwide for its domestic anti-doping program and policies and for its leadership in promoting a drug-free, fair and ethical environment for sport. Our government is pleased that the UNESCO convention against doping in sport, a convention Canada accepted in 2005, entered into force on February 1, 2007.
The last of the four pillars is interaction.
Ultimately, the sport system functions more successfully if the various stakeholders communicate and coordinate with each other. By stressing collaboration and communication, we are always working to improve these relationships.
In order to encourage interaction and communication, we are working with the four Atlantic provinces to launch the Atlantic high performance sport strategy. We have also signed bilateral agreements on sport with all 13 provinces and territories.
We are also working with Health Canada to promote active and healthy lifestyles through our support for SummerActive and WinterActive and through the joint school sport consortium.
In conclusion, Canada's new government has put in place a wide range of successful policies and initiatives, which have resulted in further integration of intergovernmental policies and programs. It has led to increases in funding levels for sport and physical activity. It has also furthered the development of bilateral agreements in each province and territory, which has ensured more sport for all Canadians. Canada's new government has ensured stable funding for national sport organizations, a key for their long term sustainability.
We have the opportunity to build on these accomplishments thanks to an unprecedented level of collaboration between this government and the sport community. This cooperation will significantly strengthen the development of sport, which will directly impact all Canadians throughout Canada and at all levels of participation.
