Panel finds abuse at all levels of Canadian sport, recommends overhaul

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The Canadian sport system is riddled with abuse and in urgent need of a fundamental overhaul, according to a former chief justice leading a panel created to study the sector after revelations of a safety crisis in sport.

“Maltreatment in sport is widespread and is ongoing in all jurisdictions and all levels of sport,” said Lise Maisonneuve, the commissioner of the Future of Sport in Canada Commission, on Tuesday.

“This includes psychological abuse, neglect, sexual harm, physical harm, racism, discrimination, bullying, and hazing. These harms occur at the national, provincial, territorial, and grassroots levels in community clubs, and in high performance sports.”

Ms. Maisonneuve, a former chief justice of the Ontario Court of Justice, spoke at a press conference in Ottawa to discuss the 790-page final report issued after almost two years of study. The report recommends new approaches to funding and governance.

The sport sector is characterized by a “culture of silence” that punishes whistleblowers, and “chronic underfunding” that imposes unreasonable expectations on organizations that are not equipped to confront a constellation of challenges.

“Too often, winning, reputation, and funding are prioritized over safety and dignity,” she said.

The final report makes 98 calls to action, including the creation of a Crown corporation to oversee sport and physical activity across the country, from grassroots to high performance.

The commission also called for the establishment of a pan-Canadian public registry of those who have been sanctioned by disciplinary bodies.

This registry would replace the patchwork of federal, provincial and territorial registries that currently exist, to ensure individuals are not able to move to another jurisdiction and re-enter sport. The commission also recommends a pan-Canadian Safe Sport program.

While the commission foresees taking up to five years to implement some of its changes, it calls on the federal government to immediately increase the amount of money it gives to national sport organizations, which have not seen core funding raised since 2005, to make up for the effects of inflation.

Several organizations, including the Canadian Olympic Committee, have been trying for years to sound the alarm about the urgent need to make up for funding shortfalls in high-performance sport. Some observers blamed underfunding after Team Canada brought home fewer medals than expected at the Winter Olympics last month.

But Ms. Maisonneuve said lack of money has more damaging consequences.

“Chronic underfunding makes sports less safe,” she said on Tuesday. “Organizations are being asked to do much more, like governance, safe sport, equity, compliance, with fewer resources. And the fear of losing funding feeds directly into the culture of silence.”

The report notes that, at the federal level, Sport Canada is a branch within the Department of Canadian Heritage. The sport portfolio is “not prioritized and does not get the attention it deserves. It has typically remained an entry-level ministerial position.”

Adam van Koeverden, the current secretary of state for sport, assumed the position in May, 2025. He replaced Carla Qualtrough, who had been the Minister of Sport and Physical Activity.

The report calls for the government to “make the necessary legislative amendments to ensure that a single federal minister responsible for sport and physical activity is supported by a single federal department, to promote long-lasting structural changes.”

The commission said it held 591 meetings and met with more than 1,000 individuals over almost 22 months, including 175 victims and survivors of maltreatment in sport as well as representatives from 270 sport organizations. It added that it received more than 1,400 documents and submissions.

Ms. Maisonneuve was assisted by special advisors Noni Classen and Andrew Pipe.