Ottawa, Ontario — March 24, 2026
The Future of Sport in Canada Commission has released its landmark Final Report, calling for transformational, systemic reform of Canadian sport — and making clear that the abuse, mismanagement, and exclusion documented throughout the system are not relics of the past, but ongoing realities that demand immediate government action.
Released today by Commissioner Lise Maisonneuve and Special Advisors Andrew Pipe and Noni Classen, the 952-page report — Transforming Sport in Canada: Time for Action — is the product of nearly two years of work, including 591 meetings, testimony from 175 victims and survivors of maltreatment, submissions from 270 sport organizations, and a national public survey of more than 3,300 Canadians.
The Commission was established in May 2024 in direct response to widely publicized revelations of abuse across Canadian sport. Its findings are stark: the problems are not isolated incidents. They are symptoms of a fractured, under-governed, and chronically underfunded system that has failed the Canadians it was meant to serve.
Did You Know?
* 75–85% of Canadian athletes report experiencing maltreatment during their sporting career
* $7.6B Sport’s contribution to Canada’s GDP in 2023 — a system worth fixing
* $3.9B Annual healthcare costs linked to physical inactivity in Canada (2022)
Key Findings:
Maltreatment Is Widespread, Systemic, and Ongoing
Research cited in the report finds that between 75% and 85% of Canadian athletes have experienced maltreatment — including psychological abuse, physical harm, sexual assault, body shaming, racism, and hazing. The Commission is unequivocal: this is not a historical problem. New cases were reported in media throughout the Commission’s mandate, across every province and every level of sport. Deep structural weaknesses — power imbalances, a culture of silence, and a lack of independent oversight — have allowed these harms to persist unchecked.
Canada Does Not Have a Sport “System” — It Has Fragmented Chaos
The Commission found that Canada’s sport governance is fractured across federal, provincial/territorial, and municipal jurisdictions, with hundreds of overlapping organizations and no unified strategy or leadership. The federal government has been reactive rather than proactive, with frequent political shifts producing ad hoc policy development and no long-term vision. The report states plainly: it is difficult to even describe this as a “system.”
A New Crown Corporation Must Be Created to Lead Canadian Sport
The Commission’s most significant structural recommendation is the creation of a Centralized Sport Entity — a federal Crown Corporation — to consolidate leadership, policy, safe sport standards, and accountability under one roof. Currently, these responsibilities are scattered across dozens of bodies with conflicting mandates. A phased approach is recommended, with groundwork to begin within the first year of the report’s release.
Safe Sport Enforcement Must Be Harmonized Across Every Jurisdiction
Whether a survivor of maltreatment has access to any complaint mechanism today depends entirely on which province they live in and which sport they play. The Commission calls for a Pan-Canadian Safe Sport Program backed by a new Multilateral Sport Framework, requiring provinces and territories to establish independent safe sport authorities meeting national minimum standards — including universal codes of conduct, mandatory background screening, and a public registry of sanctioned individuals.
Significant New Investment Is Required — With Accountability Strings Attached
The sport system is chronically underfunded, relying on short-term, fragmented grants that make sustained progress impossible. The Commission calls for a new national funding strategy: increased and longer-term federal investment, diversified funding sources including private sector contributions, and far stronger monitoring and auditing of organizations receiving public dollars. Critically, all federal funding must be explicitly tied to safe sport compliance and governance standards.
“Sport in Canada can — and must — become safer, more inclusive and accessible, more efficient, more aligned in purposes and practice, better integrated and more accountable to those it serves, particularly the most vulnerable among us.”
— Commissioner Lise Maisonneuve & Special Advisors, March 2026
What Happens Next?
The Commission has structured its recommendations into immediate actions (0–12 months), short-term actions (0–2 years), and long-term actions (2–5 years). Among the immediate priorities: maintaining the Canadian Safe Sport Program as a mandatory condition of federal funding, beginning development of a Multilateral Sport Framework with provinces and territories, and initiating the design of the new Centralized Sport Entity.
The report also calls on all orders of government — federal, provincial, territorial, and municipal — along with every sport organization, athlete, coach, and administrator to recognize their role in both creating the current crisis and building a better system. The Commission is explicit that Canada’s constitutional and federated model cannot be used as an excuse for inaction.
Sport contributes $7.6 billion to Canada’s GDP, supports public health, fosters national identity, and serves as a critical vehicle for inclusion, reconciliation, and community. The Commission argues that investing in sport reform is investing in Canada itself — and that the cost of inaction, measured in broken trust, preventable harm, and declining participation, is far higher.
The full report, Transforming Sport in Canada: Time for Action, is available in PDF and HTML format at Canada.ca/Canadian-Heritage. The report is available in both official languages. A complete list of the Commission’s Calls to Action appears in Appendix 20 of the report.