The Canadian Sport Policy is intended as a roadmap for sport. It proposes a vision and sets broad goals and objectives for the sport sector in Canada over a 10-year period.

The Policy is a result of collaboration between federal, provincial, and territorial governments, as well as non-government organizations at various levels. It establishes and supports the division of roles and responsibilities of these groups to ensure consistency and avoid duplication.

An important aspect of the Policy is that it is the basis of bilateral funding agreements between Sport Canada and the Provincial/Territorial governments. These funding agreements set the stage for investments in sport and priorities for the development of programs and policies.

The Policy was first created in 2002 and renewed in 2012.The vision of the 2012 Policy is to promote and celebrate participation and excellence in sport. It aimed to do through advocating the values of fun, safety, excellence, commitment, personal development, inclusion, accessibility, respect, fair play, and ethical behaviour. Engagements are currently taking place to support the renewal of the Policy in 2023.

The Policy impacts the practice and provision of sport in all its forms and contexts. This includes organized and unorganized sport, school and varsity sport, parks, and public and private sport centers.

In addition, the Policy provides direction to the multiple levels of sport participation from introduction to high performance. Importantly, it provides corresponding roles in providing quality programming and facilities that are appropriate for the requirements and the particular demands within each of these levels.

Because the development of the Policy is a collaborative effort, it reflects the interests and concerns of all 14 government jurisdictions, the Canadian sport community, organizations, and agencies that influence and benefit from sport in Canada. The interest and intention of the Policy is to support public access to and participation in sport to promote the various health and social benefits associated with physical activity.

The Policy provides flexibility for governments and sport organizations to contribute to goals consistent with their core mandates and jurisdictions. Because of its “road map” design, the Policy can help your organization see where and when your path aligns or diverges with the Policy so that you can take advantage of synergies or manage differences more effectively.

With this in mind, the Policy can and should also be implemented alongside other complementary action plans created by the government and your organization or program. It does not need to be used as a prescription. Of note, each level of government determines which goals and objectives of the Policy they pursue by considering their relevance in relation to jurisdictional mandates and priorities.

The Canadian Sport Policy is set to be renewed in February 2023.

The first stage of the renewal process will run from March 23 to June 23, 2022. This stage includes engagements with government jurisdictions and targeted groups across Canada, as well as a survey that all Canadians are welcome to complete.

Information gathered through the engagements and the survey will inform a new Canadian Sport Policy that will be proposed to Federal and Provincial/Territorial ministers in February 2023.

To learn more about the Policy and its upcoming renewal, please contact info@sirc.ca.