Minister Jean-Yves Duclos highlights investments to support Canada’s athletes

From: Public Services and Procurement Canada

News release

Investments will go toward supporting athletes and increasing participation in sport

July 4, 2024 - Québec, Quebec - Public Services and Procurement Canada

This summer, Canadians will come together to cheer on Team Canada at the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Summer Games. Canada’s athletes will inspire us to believe in the power and possibility of sport. They are invested in making Canada proud, and the Government of Canada is invested in setting athletes up to do their best.

Today, during a visit to the Centre de glaces Intact Assurance in Québec, the Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Public Services and Procurement, highlighted over $55 million over the next two years to support athletes from the playground to the podium. The Government of Canada is stepping up to meet athletes where they’re at and empowering them to focus on what matters—pursuing their best.

A $35-million investment will be made over five years in the Athlete Assistance Program, with $7 million per year committed on an ongoing basis thereafter. This program directly supports carded athletes who train and compete to represent Canada. This means an increased monthly living and training allowance for already carded athletes and will also allow for support to be extended to more athletes.

Opportunities for athletes to do their best are possible when their sport environments make them feel empowered and welcomed. To support this, the Government of Canada is investing in making sport safer and more inclusive for everyone. Over the next two years, $16 million will be invested in the Sport Support Program and $15 million in the Community Sport for All initiative.

Through these programs, funding will help break down barriers, making sport more available and more affordable in more communities across the country. It will also go toward initiatives to improve safe sport and advance athlete well-being. All Canadians deserve to see a future for themselves in sport.

Quotes

“Sport has a remarkable power to bring Canadians together. It unites us behind our athletes and teams, encourages greater inclusion and helps build strong communities. It also teaches our youth skills and habits that will serve them for life. Our government is committed to ensuring that the Canadian sport system and our high-performance athletes continue to thrive. We can’t wait to cheer on our athletes in Paris this summer and watch them excel on the world stage.”

The Honourable Pascale St-Onge
Minister of Canadian Heritage

“Involvement in sports, at the local or elite level, helps Canadians to stay healthy and active. Along with the physical benefits, there are also the mental health benefits of exercise. Today’s announcement helps with the financial costs of getting involved in sports. As part of Budget 2024, the Government of Canada announced a proposal to invest $55 million to support all athletes, from amateurs at the community level to Olympians and Paralympians.”

The Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos
Minister of Public Services and Procurement

“Our Canadian athletes are a source of pride for our community, through their perseverance, tenacity and surpassing themselves. The Athlete Assistance Program is essential to support them in their preparation and allow them to focus on what's important. This announcement represents our commitment to continue supporting our Canadian athletes, from amateurs to Olympians.”

Joël Lightbound
Member of Parliament for Louis-Hébert, Quebec

"We welcome this contribution, as investing in sport means promoting health in all its forms. Quality sports infrastructures promote access to sporting activities by meeting the needs of athletes and the general public alike. The sports system with its professional resources must also be supported with the same long-term vision to accompany all athletes in a more complete and safer development model. Together, let's restore sport to its rightful place: a privileged and inclusive place where overall human development contributes directly to the emergence of a fair, equitable and active society."

Denis Servais
President of the Corporation de gestion du Centre de glaces de Quebec, President of the 2027 Canada Winter Games Society and the Administrator of Sport’Aide.

Quick facts

The Athlete Assistance Program provides direct financial assistance to high-performance athletes. It aims to relieve some of the financial pressures for athletes in international sport. The new investment will bring the program’s annual budget to $40 million. Typically, between 1,800 and 1,900 athletes receive support from this program.
The Sport Support Program contributes to the development of Canadian athletes and coaches. It is the primary funding program for national level initiatives that have a direct impact on athletes and athlete development, and initiatives that provide children and youth with their first experience in sport.
The Community Sport for All initiative aims to remove barriers and increase sport participation rates for underrepresented groups. In the 2023–24 fiscal year, 39 national sport organizations received more than $16.7 million in funding to offer sport programming to underrepresented communities.
The Future of Sport in Canada Commission will engage and seek input from the sport community, including survivors and victims of maltreatment in sport, over 18 months. The process will be trauma-informed, human rights-based and forward-looking. The Commission will develop recommendations for the Government of Canada to improve safety in sport and the sport system in Canada.
As the largest investor in Canada’s amateur sport system, the Government of Canada is proud to support Canadian athletes, the national and multisport organizations that support them, and initiatives to host international sporting events. In 2023–24, Sport Canada provided $266.8 million in support for national sport organizations and high-performance athletes, as well as initiatives aimed at increasing sport participation and improving safe sport practices.
Budget 2024 committed $10.6 million over two years to support the operations of the Future of Sport in Canada Commission, which was launched on May 9. It will develop recommendations to improve safety in sport and the sport system in Canada.

Associated links

Contacts

Guillaume Bertrand
Senior Communications Advisor and Press Secretary
Office of the Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos
418-564-9571
guillaume.bertrand@tpsgc-pwgsc.gc.ca

Media Relations
Public Services and Procurement Canada
819-420-5501
media@pwgsc-tpsgc.gc.ca

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Date modified:: 2024-07-04