Canadian Policy Against Doping in Sport - 2011

Endorsed by Federal Provincial / Territorial Ministers Responsible for Sport, Physical Activity and Recreation during their Conference in Halifax, Nova Scotia on February 11, 2011.

Table of Contents

• Policy Statement
• Background and Context
• Application
• Roles and Responsibilities
• Objectives and Strategies
• Implementation and Monitoring
• Coming into Force
• Interpretation
• Appendix A: Terms
• Appendix B: Sport Sector Roles in Anti-Doping
• Appendix C: Policy Accountability Framework

Policy Statement

This policy envisions a Canadian culture of ethical, doping-free sport.

The Canadian Policy Against Doping in Sport-2011 (CPADS-2011) is guided by the fundamental commitment to safeguard the integrity and values of sport and to protect the health of individuals from the unethical practice of doping.

Provincial and Territorial Governments commit to participating with the Federal Government in the implementation of the CPADS-2011 and in the  further development of national anti-doping policies, strategies and programs involving both orders of governments.

Background and Context

There is a strong history of Canadian commitment to doping-free sport. The first domestic policy on anti-doping was published in 1983, and subsequent commitments have been renewed and expanded, culminating in the development and endorsement by F-P/T Ministers of the Canadian Policy Against Doping in Sport-2004 (CPADS-2004).

These domestic anti-doping initiatives have been mirrored by an increasingly comprehensive global fight against doping^{Footnote 1} in sport. The world-wide response to the challenge of doping in sport has been the creation of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), and development of the World Anti-Doping Code ("the Code") and its associated international standards. The Code provides an international framework for harmonized anti-doping policies, rules and regulations within sport organizations; it does however, not bind governments.

TheUNESCO Convention Against Doping in Sport (2005, "the UNESCO Convention"), is the internationally recognized legal framework under which governments undertake to implement appropriate measures consistent with the "principles" of the Code.^{Footnote 2} Canada was one of the first countries to sign the UNESCO Convention.

This policy accordingly outlines how it is anticipated the sport branches of Federal-Provincial/Territorial governments will work together to foster doping-free sport. These efforts will build upon existing collaborative frameworks, including the Canadian Sport Policy, Canadian Sport for Life, the London Declaration of Expectations for Fairness in Sport and the National Recreation Statement.

Advancing doping-free sport, while a matter of public interest, is not solely an activity of governments. Sport organizations and indeed individuals have significant roles to play in building and fostering a doping-free sport environment. In doing so, it is understood that participation in sport entails respect for the values and rules of sport, including those related to anti-doping.

In Canada, the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport (CCES) – an independent not-for-profit organization – administers the Canadian Anti-Doping Program (CADP). The CADP describes how the Code compliant anti-doping program is implemented.

Application

This policy applies to the sport programs and activities of Federal-Provincial/Territorial Governments. Collaborative activity within and between governments, as well as with not-for-profit organizations, is required to effectively advance anti-doping efforts in an integrated and coherent manner throughout the sport system.

Roles and Responsibilities

In order to ensure the integrity of an ethical, doping-free sport system, the sport branches of Federal-Provincial/Territorial governments all have important roles and responsibilities. Notably these include:

Federal Government:

• International anti-doping leadership and engagement;
• Funding of the Code-compliant Canadian Anti-Doping Program (CADP), administered by the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport;
• Coordination with Provincial/Territorial governments on anti-doping efforts;
• Leadership and coordination with other federal departments on issues related to anti-doping;
• Leadership and program delivery, including through the use of funding sanctions, which reinforce doping-free Canadian sport; and
• Encouragement of the sport community to collaboratively engage in promoting and working towards doping free sport.

Provincial/Territorial Governments:

• Leadership and program delivery, including through the use of funding sanctions, that reinforce doping-free sport within their jurisdictions, with a primary emphasis on education;
• Coordination with federal and other P/T government sport branches on anti-doping efforts;
• Leadership and coordination with other P/T departments within their jurisdictions on issues related to anti-doping; and
• Encouragement of the sport community to collaboratively engage in promoting and working towards doping free sport.

Objectives and Strategies

In order to achieve the vision of ethical, doping-free sport, governments will encourage a Canadian sport system where:

• Individuals and organizations are aware of and understand their anti-doping responsibilities; and
• Sport organizations have policies, rules and procedures that reinforce doping-free sport; and
• Anti-doping efforts in the Canadian sport system are complementary and integrated; and
• All participants are actively engaged in doping-free sport.

These objectives will be realized through the use of the following three key strategies:

• Strategic Leadership: which promotes and positions anti-doping within and between governments and supports the effective Canadian implementation of the CADP;
• Building Awareness: with individuals and organizations, where consistent anti-doping education and messaging is disseminated; and
• Funding Reinforcement: where governments' sport funding practices directly and indirectly supports ethical, doping-free sport, reinforcing the commitment to anti-doping within all Canadian sport jurisdictions.

Implementation and Monitoring

Each F-P/T jurisdiction will contribute to the implementation of the policy, including through the achievement of the activities outlined in the Joint Action Plan. This Plan is an independent document which outlines planned activities for a set time period, and may be complemented by individual jurisdictional action plans.

The Policy Accountability Framework, as outlined in Appendix C, will provide the basis for monitoring the implementation of this Policy. This framework will also contribute to international reporting on anti-doping agreements and activities.

Sport Canada will lead an Implementation Monitoring Group of working-level contacts, including representatives from the P/T jurisdiction, to share information and coordinate efforts between jurisdictions. This group may form task forces from time to time on specific joint initiatives including oversight for the monitoring of implementation activities related to the policy and the development and refinement of subsequent joint activities. The sport community may be invited to participate in the Implementation Monitoring Group.

This policy will be regularly reviewed, at minimum every five years, to ensure its on-going relevance to achieving governments' anti-doping objectives. Any updates to guiding documents, notably including the UNESCO Convention, will be considered to be automatically incorporated into this policy and its implementation.

Coming into Force

This Canadian Policy Against Doping in Sport comes into effect on February, 11, 2011 and replaces all previous Canadian Federal-Provincial/Territorial and federal policies specifically addressing anti-doping in sport.

Interpretation

The English and French versions of this policy are equally authoritative.

Appendix A: Terms

The Canadian sport system refers to organized sport programs and competitions that occur throughout an athlete development continuum consistent with Canadian Sport for Life. Not-for-profit sport organizations provide the structure for the sport system, with individuals contributing in a wide variety of formal and informal roles.

Canadian Sport for Life is the generic approach to Canadian long-term athlete development (LTAD) which identifies requirements for athlete participants at various stages of their sport development, including coaching, training, equipment and competition needs.

Doping is considered to be the use of substances or methods which are prohibited by the Code. Specifically, WADA states that doping is the occurrence of one or more anti-doping rule violations as set out in Section 2 of the Code.

Government sport branches are the entities of the Federal-Provincial/Territorial governments which are responsible for sport-related activities, including the provision of advice to the Minister responsible for sport, setting policy direction and managing the distribution of funding support.

Funding – in the context of this policy – refers to the funding programs delivered by Federal-Provincial/Territorial sport branches. This may include both direct and indirect support, where direct funding is designated for anti-doping activities, and indirect funding is not earmarked for anti-doping but the funding provisions reinforce the importance of anti-doping.

Individuals are people involved in sport in a variety of roles, including Athletes and Athlete Support Personnel, as defined in the Code.

Organizations are formal groups that provide sport programs or services within the Canadian sport system.

Appendix B: Sport Sector Roles in Anti-Doping

Both governmental and non-governmental/sport sector organizations have roles to play in anti-doping.

From a sport sector perspective, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), which has its headquarters in Montreal, provides the world-wide leadership for the fight against doping in sport. Through the WADA Code, WADA has direct influence on sport organizations, specifically: the International Olympic Committee, the International Paralympic Committee, International Federations, Major Event Organizations, National Olympic Committees, and National Anti-Doping Organizations. By virtue of their membership in International Federations and participation in major events, National Sport Organizations and National Paralympic Committees are also subject, by extension, to the WADA Code. The Code also outlines responsibilities for athletes and athlete support personnel, citing the need for these individuals to be knowledgeable about anti-doping policies and regulations and to cooperate with anti-doping programs.

The Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport is Canada's National Anti-Doping Organization (NADO). NADOs are responsible for delivering a WADA Code-compliant anti-doping program for their nation, inclusive of testing, education and results management. NADOs are also expected to encourage anti-doping research and work collaboratively with other NADOs. The Sport Dispute Resolution Centre of Canada provides arbitration services for anti-doping tribunals and appeals. One of the 33 WADA-accredited labs is located in Montreal.

Appendix C: Policy Accountability Framework

The Policy Accountability Framework for the Canadian Policy Against Doping in Sportreflects expected results that Federal-Provincial/Territorial governments are working to achieve. It also provides the basis for how performance will be monitored and evaluated. As such, the framework provides the blueprint for the planning, measuring, evaluating and reporting on results through the life-cycle of the policy.

The logic model for the policy is presented below, in a narrative format and is intended to show the logic by which it is expected that the vision of the policy will be realized. It has two main parts: outcomes and policy interventions. The ultimate outcome is the long-term vision for the policy, and it is expected that the intermediate outcomes will create the conditions favourable to its achievement. In turn, it is expected that the immediate outcomes will contribute to the intermediate outcomes, and that the immediate outcomes will be achieved through the operationalization of the policy interventions or strategies. Measurable indicators associated with each of the outputs and outcomes will be used in evaluating progress associated with the policy, as per the Joint Action Plan.

Ultimate Outcome

• A Canadian culture of ethical, doping-free sport

Intermediate Outcomes

• Complementary, integrated anti-doping efforts in the Canadian sport system
• Participants are actively engaged in doping-free sport
• Organizations have policies and rules that reinforce clean sport and deter doping
• Individuals and organizations are aware of and understand anti-doping responsibilities

Immediate Outcomes

• Government funding reinforces anti-doping within Canadian sport jurisdictions
• Canadian implementation of the Canadian Anti-Doping Program, inclusive of education, testing and results management
• Consistent anti-doping information, education and messaging is disseminated

Policy Interventions

• Funding programs directly and indirectly support anti-doping
• Strategic leadership promotes and positions anti-doping within and among governments
• Building awareness with organizations and individuals