Readings:

1
The ethical turn and the Physical Activity and
Sport Act 2003
Readings Bercovitz, A critical analysis of
Canadas Active Living science or Politics,
Critical Public Health, (2002), 19-39. Canada,
The Physical Activity and Sport Act, 2003. Kidd,
Canada, in Wilson and Derse (Eds.), Doping in
Elite Sport, 2001.
2
The crisis of the 1980s BJ, Dubin and the crisis
of values

• Ben Johnson, an exemplar of the Canadian Sport
  System expelled for steroids in Seoul
• Government immediately appointed a Royal
  Commission under Ontario Chief Justice Charles
  Dubin to investigate

3
The critique of the status quo

• Dubin heard
• A strong critique of the ideology of excellence
• A strong plea for athletes rights
• A strong appeal for a much more equitable and
  accessible sport system

4
The outcome value-based sport

• Strengthened emphasis upon values the athletes
  who march behind the flag should uphold the
  values of that flag.
• Creation of the Canadian Centre for Ethics in
  Sport and strict anti-doping protocol

5
The athlete centered system

• A broader, more health and educationally focused
  goal for training and competition
• Strengthened voice and vote for athletes, through
  Athletes CAN today virtually every NSO/MSO has a
  position for an elected athlete representative on
  its board

6
A renewed commitment to equity

• Gender equity and anti-harassment policies new
  protections for athletes

7
Questions

• How well were the post-Dubin reforms
  implemented?
• To what extent does Canadian sport actually walk
  the talk with respect to the values articulated
  by the post-Dubin reforms?
• What would be useful performance measures?

8
The crisis of the 1990s running on fumes

• The system began to unravel after 1996
• Huge cutbacks to Sport Canada, ParticipACTION
  Canada, and many provincial and municipal
  programs, reduced opportunities at all levels
• Canadian Sport and Recreation Centre disbanded
• Participation in sport and sports leadership
  declined
• Weariness with bidding for international games as
  strategy of domestic sport development
• Note important exceptions in Alberta and Quebec

9
By 2001

• Disappointing Sydney results
• Alarming trends in participation
• Adult participation in sport fell from 45 in
  1992 to 34 in 1998.
• Participation in physical activity leveled off at
  about 38 of the population.
• Children 40 less active than 30 years earlier.
• Prevalence of overweight children grew among boys
  from 15 in 1981 to 35.4 in 1996 and among girls
  from 15 to 29.2.
• Canadas Olympic teams drawn from a narrower,
  upper-class base than 30 years earlier.
• Yet public opinion polling indicated that support
  for physical education and sport was at record
  highs.
• Torontos bid for 2008 Olympics unsuccessful

10
In response, a new effort to revitalize public
policy

• Initiated by charismatic Secretary of State for
  Amateur Sport (Denis Coderre) with ambition to
  become PM
• Astute, experienced, committed Quebec-based
  sports leaders

11
Coderres hopes for new national legislation

• Reunite responsibility for sport and fitness
• Increase funding
• Elevate sport and fitness portfolio in the
  governments agenda
• Harmonize Canadian anti-doping with WADA
• Address participants rights through ADR
• Protect Canada Games through mandated obligations

12
The outcomes

• 1. The Canadian Sport Policy, an agreement
  between the federal, provincial and territorial
  governments, signed April 6, 2002, with a
  subsequent Federal-Provincial/Territorial
  Priorities for Collaborative Action 20022005, to
  jointly realize the following goals by 2012

13
Enhanced participation

• A significantly higher proportion of Canadians
  from all segments of society are involved in
  quality sport activities at all levels and in all
  forms of participation
• A major priority to be given to the
  revitalization of physical education in the
  public school system.

14
Enhanced excellence

• The pool of talented athletes has expanded and
  Canadian athletes and teams are systematically
  achieving world-class results at the highest
  levels of international competition through fair
  and ethical means

15
Enhanced capacity

• The essential components of an ethically-based,
  athlete/participant-centered development system
  are in place and are continually modernized and
  strengthened as required

16
Enhanced interaction

• The components of the sport system are more
  connected and coordinated as a result of the
  committed collaboration and communication amongst
  the stakeholders

17
The outcomes

• 2. Bill C-12 The Physical Activity and Sport Act
  (introduced and steered through Parliament by
  Coderres successor, Paul DeVillers), proclaimed
  on March 19, 2003.

18
Bill C-12

• Changed the nomenclature from Fitness and
  Amateur Sport to Physical Activity and Sport

19
Bill C-12

• Revised objectives re physical activity
• Promote physical activity as a fundamental
  element of health and well-being
• Encourage all Canadians to improve health by
  integrating PA into their daily lives
• Assist in reducing barriers that prevent them
  from being active

20
Bill C-12

• Revised objectives re sport
• To increase participation and to support the
  pursuit of excellence
• To build capacity

21
Bill C-12

• Inserted a strong statement of values
• The Government of Canadas policy is founded on
  the highest ethical standards and values,
  including doping-free sport, the treatment of all
  persons with fairness and respect, the full and
  fair participation of all persons in sport and
  the fair, equitable, transparent and timely
  resolution of disputes.

22
Bill C-12

• Created Sport Dispute Resolution Centre of
  Canada
• Non-profit NGO, with board appointed by the
  minister upon advice of sport community
• ADR for appeals and disputes
• Panel of independent, sport-knowledgeable
  arbitrators/mediators
• Resource centre for policies, procedures
• www.adrsportred.ca

23
The outcomes

• 3. New funding to sport
• E.g. in 2005-2006, Sport Canada budget was
  140M, the highest ever
• Harper Government has promised much more1 of
  health budget or 435M

24
Yet

• Responsibilities for sport and fitness remain
  under different ministries
• Increased funding still leaves Canada behind
  traditional competitors
• Little new money for broadly based physical
  activity 140M to sport while PA gets 5M
• Little new money for capital construction
  (capacity)
• Government did not include the gender equity
  provision amendment recommended by CAAWS
  instead, DeVillers promised to establish a new
  accountability mechanism within Sport Canada

25
The outcomes

• 4. National Advisory Council met for a year,
  completed a comprehensive report, then thanked
  and disbanded

26
Questions

• Is half a loaf better than none?
• What would constitute an excellent national
  sports policy and an excellent national sport
  act? What is missing?
• What are the best examples of sport legislation
  elsewhere?

27
The Canadian context

• To what extent have
• Canadians concern about the future of medicare
  (compulsory insurance for medical and hospital
  treatment of disease)
• The much greater popularity of professional sport
  
• The neo-liberal attack on the public sector
• weakened the lobby for public programs in sports?

28
Vancouver 2010

• To what extent will the Winter Olympic and
  Paralympic Games stimulate/distort the
  realization of the Canadian Sports Policy?

29
The international context

• To what extent has the accelerating
  Americanization and commercialization of Canadian
  culture undermined the case for publicly
  supported sports?
• How have the FTA, NAFTA, and the WTO weakened the
  ability of Canadian governments to intervene in
  sports?

30
The importance of intervention

• Scholars and students played a role throughout
  the process, as researchers and advocates.
• Whatever the outcome, it will be important for
  scholars and activists to insert themselves into
  the ongoing development of federal legislation
  and its implementation, studying the
  implications, holding/attending public meetings
  to discuss it, and meeting with elected federal
  representatives to express their views.