Canadian Heritage committee  Equity really recognizes that there are groups that have encountered historical disadvantages, or that have been historically disadvantaged and have confronted many barriers to accessing what sport has to offer. Equity really recognizes that and seeks to address that. It seeks to

Canadian Heritage committee  I would certainly echo your point about unfairness. I think what we're dealing with is historical bias towards men's sport. In fact, women have had to fight many battles for recognition and respect and support for their participation in sport as well. Certainly, we're encourage

Canadian Heritage committee  I think sport is probably best known for its positive physical benefits and mental health benefits. Sport, of course, if you look at it through a gender perspective, is also a place where girls and women first get to establish their leadership, which, they've shown through resear

Canadian Heritage committee  I think it's a really interesting question. As has been described by so many of the witnesses today, there's been a real stop-start. Frankly, across provincial and territorial jurisdictions, there have been very different rules and very different expectations of what it means to

Canadian Heritage committee  That is an excellent question, and I appreciate it very much. Frankly, it's a difficult thing to assess. Sport is a very big, diverse sector, with everybody working autonomously, so we don't always get those numbers rounded up. What we do know—some proxies, if you will—is that w

Canadian Heritage committee  Yes, it's a very substantial gap when it comes to private sector funding of sports. Within government, there have certainly been efforts to increase the amount of financing or resources flowing to women's sport. Those decisions ultimately happen within every organization. For ins

Canadian Heritage committee  —to increase their understanding and competency for inclusion. Addressing those two points will be essential to the recovery and the long-term viability of the sport system to serve Canadians inclusively and well. Thank you for your time and consideration today, and of course,

Canadian Heritage committee  Hello. Good afternoon, Madam Chair and members of the committee. My name is Allison Sandmeyer-Graves, and I'm the CEO of Canadian Women and Sport. Our 40-year-old organization is committed to building an equitable and inclusive sport system that empowers all women and girls, wi