Carla Qualtrough

Let’s hold ourselves accountable and not fall into the trap of defensiveness, excuse-making and risk management.
Let’s see this as the opportunity it is.

Today we should all be reflecting on what we could have done to prevent this from happening in the first place.

I care very deeply about sport. I believe very strongly in the power of sport to do good. There are good people doing good things in sport every day in every corner of this country.

Sport is unsafe. As a result of underfunding, insufficient legal/regulatory authority, system fragmentation, and cultural permissiveness.

The culture of sport is permissive and enabling. Canadians need to decide that the sport they want is not the sport we have – as parents, consumers, participants, we can make choices that will change the sport landscape.

The sport system is fragmented and inefficient. Efforts to address gaps have been reactive and piecemeal. There are too many organizations and no coordinating agency to provide leadership and strategic direction. We need a national sport agency.

Sport is dangerously unregulated. We need law to regulate sport - whether it’s funded or not by the government. Canada does not have the legal framework or regulatory authority to do what needs to be done.

Sport is woefully underfunded. Investments in sport are investments in the health and safety of our kids. Sport is part of our national identity, and our investments need to reflect this.

The Commission laid bare a truth that will be hard for some to hear, but those are the people who need to hear it the most.

We need to make some big decisions to ensure they get the sport they deserve. We can do this.

Bottom line: the sport system needs an overhaul. People have been harmed – children have been harmed. We owe it to everyone who was hurt, maltreated, discriminated against, bullied, denied access, and excluded to see this as an opportunity to do better for all Canadian children.

My first thought – there needs to be a formal apology by the Prime Minister to victims and survivors of abuse in sport. In fact, we should all apologize. There can be no doubt that we failed.

Today is an important day in Canadian sport history. The Future of Sport in Canada’s preliminary recommendations are thoughtful and bold.