April 01, 2015 (Ottawa,ON) – Over the last year, the Government of Canada has continued to invest in sport at record levels, contributing almost $200 million across the Canadian amateur sport community to promote sport, support our high-performance athletes, and invest in hosting the Canada Games and international sport events in Canada.

With 2015 having been proclaimed the Year of Sport in Canada, this clearly demonstrates the important role sport plays in defining this country’s national identity. Canada has a well-earned reputation of being proud of the athletes who represent us on the world stage and of having a dynamic sense of volunteerism, as hundreds of thousands of Canadians donate their time each year to sport all across the country.

Quick Facts

– Through Sport Canada’s Sport Support Program, the Government of Canada contributed approximately $146 million to 56 Canadian single-sport sport organizations, 23 multisport service organizations and the 7 Canadian Sport Centres and Institutes to strengthen our national sport system and to help our Canadian athletes and coaches pursue excellence, at all levels of their development.

– Through the Athlete Assistance Program, $28 million in funding went directly to approximately 1,800 high-performance athletes, providing them with monthly financial assistance to cover living, training and education expenses to help them focus on the path to podium.

– Sport Canada’s Hosting Program provided approximately $20 million to support the Canada Games and assist national sport organizations in their efforts to host world-class international single-sport events in communities all across the country. These events allow our Canadian athletes the chance to refine their skills against the world’s best, on home soil.

The Year of Sport in Canada highlights a very full sport calendar throughout 2015 in Canada. It features:
– the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) World Junior Hockey Championship in Toronto and Montreal;
– the 25th edition of the Canada Games in Prince George, British Columbia;
– the FIFA Women’s World Cup Canada 2015 in Vancouver, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Ottawa, Montreal and Moncton;
– the Toronto 2015 Pan Am Games (July 10-26) and Parapan Am Games (August 7-15) in Toronto and the Greater Golden Horseshoe region;
– about 60 international single-sport events; and
– around 55 national single-sport championships hosted annually by national sport organizations at all age levels.

The Government of Canada has made significant investments in the success and legacy of the Toronto 2015 Pan Am and Parapan Am Games, contributing up to $500 million towards:
– sport infrastructure projects (up to $377.1 million);
– the Toronto 2015 Sport Legacy Fund (up to $65 million);
– a Federal Cultural Strategy (up to $6 million);
– Canadian team preparation: athletes, coaches and officials (up to $3 million); and
– essential federal services (up to $48.9 million) to support the staging of the Games.

– In 2014-15, the Government of Canada also doubled the Children’s Fitness Tax Credit to $1,000 to help parents offset the costs of enrolling their children in organized sports.

“What a year for sport in Canada. As Canada’s Sport Minister, I am very fortunate to take part in so many wonderful celebrations of sport-both at the community level, with programs like Canadian Tire Jumpstart and Kidsport, and at the national and international level, like the recent Prince George 2015 Canada Winter Games or the upcoming FIFA Women’s World Cup.

“As I talk to so many Canadians, what remains constant is the important role that sport plays in their lives and the pride they feel seeing our athletes wear the maple leaf with such dignity and purpose. Our Government has invested in sport at record levels because we know the impact it has-from local playgrounds, to recreational sport leagues all the way to high performance athletes, sport is vital to the cultural fabric of our nation,” commented The Honourable Bal Gosal, Minister of State (Sport)

Associated Links

Canada.ca/Sport here.
Sport Canada here.
FIFA Women’s World Cup Canada 2015 here.
Toronto 2015 Pan Am and Parapan Am Games here.
Children’s Fitness Tax Credit here.