Federal-Provincial-Territorial Conference of Ministers responsible for Sport, Fitness and Recreation

IQALUIT, April 6, 2002 -- The Secretary of State (Amateur Sport) and Provincial/Territorial Ministers Responsible for Sport, Fitness and Recreation today endorsed the Canadian Sport Policy, the first-ever Canadian sport policy to involve the collaboration of all fourteen governments. This landmark policy is the result of unprecedented consultation with the sport community.

The Ministers embarked on this policy development process to create a more effective and transparent sport system, to underscore the importance of sport and physical activity to the health of Canadians, and to build a more integrated and harmonious environment to improve the sport experience. The policy challenges all stakeholders in sport to create and support an integrated athlete/participant centred sport model that ensures the seamless progress -- from playground to podium -- so that athletes/participants can realize the full extent of their abilities and interests.

It represents a shared vision and goals for sport development and will enhance sport throughout Canada over the next ten years in four primary areas: participation, excellence, capacity and interaction.

More specifically, the policy provides vision and direction for sport for the period 2002 to 2012; commits all governments to setting targets for increased participation and enhanced high performance sport in partnership with their respective sport communities.

The Ministers also endorsed the F-P/T Priorities for Collaborative Action in Sport. This document is an action plan for implementing the Canadian Sport Policy. It identifies thirteen priorities and twenty-two concrete actions that governments will undertake jointly and with their respective sport communities over the next three years. The Ministers committed to review and renew these priorities annually as well as develop appropriate action plans for their respective governments that will complement the Canadian Sport Policy.

Ministers also agreed to invite key leaders of the sport community to meet with them at the time of their next conference held in conjunction with the 2003 Canada Games. This invitation recognizes the need for governments and the sport community to collaborate for the benefit of sport development.

The Ministers were participating in an annual meeting of ministers responsible for sport, fitness and recreation where they discussed a number of issues of mutual interest. They endorsed in principle a Policy Framework for the Canadian Strategy for Ethical Conduct in Sport and directed their officials to develop an action plan to address these ethical issues in the context of the Canadian Sport Policy.

The Ministers also discussed the Canadian Policy Against Doping in Sport. The original policy was adopted in 1991. Ministers directed their officials to work closely with key stakeholders in the fight against doping by broadening the policy to address changes in Canada and on the world stage.

Provincial/Territorial Ministers discussed the importance of increasing physical activity opportunities for children and youth through advancing the concept of active school communities. They presented provincial/ territorial and national action plans that resulted from the 2001 National Recreation Roundtable on Active School Communities.

The next meeting of ministers responsible for sport, fitness and recreation will take place in February 2003 in Bathurst-Campbellton, New Brunswick prior to the Canada Winter Games.

- 30 -

Information:

Mario Tremblay
Press Secretary
Office of the Secretary of State (Amateur Sport)
Tel: 819-953-7329