Canada’s sports system is ‘broken, unsustainable,’ report finds

The commission identified that abuse is widespread and ongoing at all levels of sport, and that complaint mechanisms are fragmented and inconsistent across the country.

Canadian sport needs an overhaul. That was the conclusion of the Future of Sport in Canada Commission’s final report released Tuesday.

“The work must begin now,” said Lise Maisonneuve, a former chief justice of the Ontario court of justice, who headed the commission.

“Our review has revealed the Canadian sport system is broken, fragmented and in its present form, unsustainable.

“In many settings, and for far too many people, it has caused and continues to cause real lasting harm.”

The commission’s mandate was to make the Canadian sport system better and safer.

“As we discovered in our work, these two matters are deeply interconnected,” Maisonneuve said.

“Sport in Canada stands at a defining moment. Canadians expect meaningful and concrete transformation.”

Announced in December 2023 by former federal sports minister Carla Qualtrough, the commission was among various federal government remedies in response to a wave of maltreatment and abuse reports, both current and historical, that surfaced after the 2022 Winter Games in Beijing.