Canada's Sport Policy

[pammie003]

Hi everyone!

As some of you already know, I'm an MPA student. For one of my classes, I have to write a policy proposal about a topic of my choice. If this were the real world (as opposed to student-land), this memo would go to a senior civil servant who might, in turn, pass it on to the Prime Minister. If it were a good proposal, in line with his political goals, the PM might decide to adopt it as his own.

I've chosen sport policy as my specific area of interest. So, my question to you all is how would you like to see the current policy change? (See Sport Canada's Website for the current policy.)

In additon, of anyone is working as a coach or official, or is a carded athlete, (Canada only please) and would consent to doing an e-mail based interview, please PM me.

[jBirch]

The problem with Sport Canada is twofold:
1) Money.
2) Money.

If you end up being an international calibre athlete you start off at a severe disadvantage because you have to work to pay for your sport. In Canada, a senior athlete competing at the Olympic level gets 1100 pre tax per month (13,200 per year) to live and pay for training with. If you were to live on this as your sole income, you'd be below the poverty line. Other international athletes in other countries get enough funding that they can dedicate their entire lives, day and night, to getting better at their sport. In Canada, sport is a hobby. Elsewhere, it is serious business.

If you take funding away from the problem, Sport Canada also tends to focus on High Performance athletes, to the detriment of everyone else. Part of the reason that Hockey is one of our national sports is because most of us have played the game competitively as kids. Niche sports, like lacrosse and fencing, have problems getting anyone to come out and watch because no one has spent any time to teach them the sport and so no one is interested in watching them! What SC should be doing is encouraging everyone to play these sports by supporting grassroots and community based groups. Not everyone wants to be a football/soccer/hockey/baseball player. It should also be providing money to schools and guidance to PT instructors to teach some of these sports in their gyms. How many people learned to fence in High School/Elementary School in Canada? Not many, I'd wager.

Further, SC seems uninterested in accelerating sport in Canada through University level research. I know very few professors who are studying sport problems and fewer universities that are actually increasing their competitive sports programs, and not reducing them to pay for things like light and heat.

Hope this helps.

[SJB]

Not to mention Sport Canada focuses on giving jobs to former athletes who most of the time aren't qualified for their positions.

Nothing against employing former national team/olympians, they live a life of poverty most of the time, but we should have experts in the field running our national sport office and programs.

Also, our government lacks a Department solely dedicated to sport. And by this I mean there is no Ministry of Sport or the like at the Federal level.

I believe the last time such a place existed was under Truedeau but double check that to be sure.

Lastly, coaching is an area that needs to be developed alongside athletes. While the National Coaching Institutes exist and do a good job at educating coaches they are far too general in their focus. ie. not sport specific.

Each sport should have a national coaching school or education program rather than a general program which the coaches then apply to their sport.

[pkt]

Originally Posted by SJB

...

Also, our government lacks a Department solely dedicated to sport. And by this I mean there is no Ministry of Sport or the like at the Federal level.

I believe the last time such a place existed was under Truedeau but double check that to be sure.

Lastly, coaching is an area that needs to be developed alongside athletes. While the National Coaching Institutes exist and do a good job at educating coaches they are far too general in their focus. ie. not sport specific.

Each sport should have a national coaching school or education program rather than a general program which the coaches then apply to their sport.

Not trying to be an apologist, just being informative:

1. In the current cabinet, the Hon Stephen Owen is the Minister of State (Sport)
Owen.S@parl.gc.ca
with a special responsibility for the 2010 winter Olympics in Vancouver/Whistler. i know that means he's not a full minister as such.
http://www.parl.gc.ca/information/ab...uery=17788&s=M

2. As for the NCI is concerned, the structure has to be thus, otherwise the bureaucracy would be too gigantic. Each sport should handle the specifics of their own sport. it can't be otherwise.

PK

[pkt]

Originally Posted by pammie003

Hi everyone!

...

I've chosen sport policy as my specific area of interest. So, my question to you all is how would you like to see the current policy change? (See Sport Canada's Website for the current policy.)

In additon, of anyone is working as a coach or official, or is a carded athlete, (Canada only please) and would consent to doing an e-mail based interview, please PM me.

hey Pammie,
isn't this asking us to do your work/research/thinking for you?


Which one of you guys going to the CSC#2 in Saskatoon?

PK

[pammie003]

Originally Posted by pkt

hey Pammie,
isn't this asking us to do your work/research/thinking for you?



PK

Nope, definitely not. One of the requirements for the paper is to talk to people involved in the area (that would be you guys) and find out what they want/need. So... this is research .

Just an update on where I am with this:

- definitely arguing for more money, but I also feel that sport needs to be better supported at lower levels. It takes a long time and a lot of money to become a carded athlete, and some assistance is necessary. I'm just not sure how I want to allocate it.

- I also think that we need a single, comprehensive policy. Right now there are 4! One of them is from 1986... about women in sport. Four policies mean a lot of overlap and create confusion.

- As a comparison, I'm looking at the Australian sport policy. It's quite good.

- I'm not arguing for creating a new department. The cabinet is too large as it is, and adding one more minister will not help matters.

I think that's about it for now... I'll keep you posted.