Sport Trends - the Canadian Government Perspective

At the 2007 Senior Leaders Forum (Halifax), Sport Canada shared the trends that were influencing policy development and program delivery.  They are clearly a sub-set of all the trends facing sport and it is important for stakeholders to appreciate the trends that are capturing political interest at the national level:

• Canadians are growing more sedentary and obesity rates have been steadily climbing. The 2004 Canadian Community Health Survey indicated that there were an estimated 500,000 obese children. This statistic emphasizes the importance of improving sport participation and reducing physical inactivity as a means of proactive health care.
• Canadians are not participating in sport at the same levels as they have in the past. According to the Conference Board of Canada’s 2005 report of the socio-economic benefits of sport, sport participation has dropped from 45% in 1992 to 34% in 1998 to 31% in 2005. Federal-Provincial/Territorial bilateral agreements have been created to help increase sport participation and development; a collaborative effort that is a result of greater attention to the concerns about declining participation rates.
• Canada ’s sport performance at the highest international level has improved in winter sports but declined in summer sports. Sport Canada has partnered with the Canadian Olympic Committee, Canadian Paralympic Committee, the Vancouver Organizing Committee (VANOC) to create Podium Canada in an effort to further improve Canada’s Olympic and Paralympic performance for both the summer and winter sports.
• The Canadian sport system is highly dependent on the support of volunteers. Over two million Canadians are engaged in volunteer work as sport coaches, trainers, administrators or volunteers in other capacities. However, over the past decade there has been a decrease in volunteerism rates that could potentially have a significant impact on volunteerism in sport.
• In 2006, Provincial and Territorial Ministers responsible for sport, physical activity and recreation identified sport and recreation infrastructure as their first priority. Additionally, communities often look at event hosting opportunities as a means to leverage municipal, provincial and federal investments towards sport and recreation infrastructure. The Government of Canada has an infrastructure program that allows for sport related infrastructure projects, but the program does not have a specific sport budget.
• There is a growing public expectation that non-governmental organizations will be effectively managed and will be increasingly accountable for any government support received.

Source: http://pch.gc.ca/pgm/sc/pubs/frum/bckdr-eng.cfm