The Emergence of an Elite Sport Formation in Canada, 1943-2004 December 2, 2004

The Emergence of an Elite The Emergence of an Elite Sport Formation in Canada, Sport Formation in Canada,

1943-20041943-2004

December 2, 2004

To understand sport policy & shifts in priority weTo understand sport policy & shifts in priority wemust place development in the wider political & social must place development in the wider political & social

changes that have occurred in Canada changes that have occurred in Canada



WorldExpositions

(1851)



WorldExpositions

(1851)

Olympic Games(1896)



WorldExpositions

(1851)

Olympic Games(1896)

The Duke of Edinburgh

(1959)



WorldExpositions

(1851)

Olympic Games(1896)


(1959)

Expo ‘67



WorldExpositions

(1851)

Olympic Games(1896)


(1959)

Expo ‘67

Federal Election (1968)



WorldExpositions

(1851)

Olympic Games(1896)


(1959)

Expo ‘67


Summit Series(1972)



WorldExpositions

(1851)

Olympic Games(1896)


(1959)

Expo ‘67


Summit Series(1972)

MontrealOlympics

(1976)



WorldExpositions

(1851)

Olympic Games(1896)


(1959)

Expo ‘67


Summit Series(1972)

MontrealOlympics

(1976)

CalgaryOlympics

(1988)



WorldExpositions

(1851)

Olympic Games(1896)


(1959)

Expo ‘67


Summit Series(1972)

MontrealOlympics

(1976)

CalgaryOlympics

(1988)

Ben Johnson/Dubin Inquiry

(1988-90)



WorldExpositions

(1851)

Olympic Games(1896)


(1959)

Expo ‘67


Summit Series(1972)

MontrealOlympics

(1976)

CalgaryOlympics

(1988)


(1988-90)

Salt Lake CityHockey(2002)



WorldExpositions

(1851)

Olympic Games(1896)


(1959)

Expo ‘67


Summit Series(1972)

MontrealOlympics

(1976)

CalgaryOlympics

(1988)


(1988-90)


Vancouver(2010)

http://www.cbc.ca/story/sports/national/2004/11/29/Sports/coc041129.html



WorldExpositions

(1851)

Olympic Games(1896)


(1959) Expo ‘67 Federal Election (1968)

Summit Series(1972)

MontrealOlympics

(1976)

CalgaryOlympics

(1988)


(1988-90)


Vancouver(2010)

Factors Inhibiting Early Government Action in Sport:

• Protestant values

• Jurisdiction

• Issues of autonomy

Canadian Sport Policies for Analysis:

1943 - National Physical Fitness Act

1961 - The Fitness & Amateur Sport Act

1969-73 - Towards Sport Canada

1979 - Towards a New Sport Policy

1980 - Policies and Programs in the 1980s

1998 - The Mills Report

2002 - An Act to Promote Physical Activity & Sport

-1943--1943-

National Physical Fitness Act

• Considered a Wartime Act • In-line with objectives of the Canadian

Welfare State in post-Depression years• Defined ‘fitness’ as “the best state of

health…necessary for a life of service to one’s family & country…”

• Primary emphasis was on mass participation

-1943--1943- con’tcon’t

National Physical Fitness Act

Retraction of the NPFA:• King government quietly pulled back

from its ‘Green Book’ promises for postwar reconstruction

• Act was officially repealed in 1954

-1961--1961-

Bill C-131The Fitness and Amateur Sport Act

• Enacted under Prime Minister Diefenbaker in 1961

• Officially committed the federal government “to encourage, promote, & develop fitness and amateur sport in Canada”

• The National Advisory Council was established by the Act to oversee the implementation of the program

-1961--1961- Bill C-131 con’t

The Fitness and Amateur Sport Act

Key Events and Agents associated with the Act:

1) Administrative structure & personnel

2) Federal/provincial cost-sharing agreements

3) Grants to sport governing bodies

4) The Canada Games

5) Scholarships & research awards

-1961--1961- Bill C-131 con’t

The Fitness and Amateur Sport ActWeaknesses of the Act:• Its broad scope meant that expectations were

often distanced considerably from the reality of implementation

• By 1968, conflicting government views between mass & elite sport were clear

• Issues arose concerning cost-sharing programs• Questions of national unity & nationalism

-1969-1973--1969-1973-

Towards Sport Canada

1969 – Federal Government Task Force on Sport for Canadians• Reported on the governments scant involvement in

sport (elite sport)

Forces that Shaped Government Sport Directionsin the 1970s:• The National Unity Crisis• Sport Transformation• Sport and National Unity

-1969-1973--1969-1973- con’tcon’t

Towards Sport Canada

1970 – A Proposed Sports Policy for Canadians (The White Paper)

• Emanated from the Report of the Task Force on Sport for Canadians

• Emphasis was on the improvement of Canadian performance in international competition & the development of elite athletes

-1969-1973--1969-1973- con’tcon’t

Sport Canada

1971 – Sport Canada and Recreation Canada

• The Proposed Sports Policy for Canadians, the national unity crises, & Montreal’s successful bid for the 1976 Olympics helped to build momentum for increased federal involvement in sport

• In 1971, Munro announced that two separate directorates were to be created:

-1969-1973--1969-1973- con’tcon’t

Sport Canada

Sport Canada: Dedicated to elite sport &improve Canadian performances ininternational competitions

Recreation Canada: Provided Canadians withopportunities to participate in physicalrecreation & to improve fitness levels

con’tcon’t

Sport Canada (1970s)

• Sport Programs & Direct Government Output:– 1976 Montreal Olympics – ‘Game Plan’

– National Sport and Recreation Centre

– Hockey Canada

– ParticipAction

– Coaching Association of Canada

– Canada & Arctic Winter Games

– First Minister of State for Fitness and Amateur Sport

-1979--1979-

Towards a New Sport Policy

• Canadian improvement in international amateur sport events (Montreal)

• Federal failures in recreation

• Growth in the amateur sport bureaucracy in Canada & bias to elite sport

• Trudeau’s unifying vision supported

-1977-1979--1977-1979- con’tcon’t

Towards a New Sport PolicyThe Green Paper (1977) • A proposal paper• Highly controversial – dealt exclusively with sport• Criticisms justified with the separate Green Paper for

Recreation

The White Paper (1979)• Proposal for legislative change• Dealt exclusively with sport• Campagnolo justified this focus by acknowledging the

provinces & municipalities as the appropriate administrators of recreation

-1980s-

Policies and Programs in the 1980s

• 1981 – Regan White Paper

• High-Performance Sport Centres

• Hosting Policy

• Athlete Assistance Program

• “Best Ever ’88”

• CAAWS

-1998-

The Mills Report• First Government initiative to examine the

‘industry of sport’Mandate of the Sub-Committee:1) Measurement of economic impact of sport on a

national and regional basis2) Contribution of sport to the cultural sphere –

sport’s impact on national unity3) Potential scope of, & rationale for, federal

involvement in sport• Overall, the impact of sport and recreation sector

on Gross Domestic Product was $8.9 billion

-2002-

Bill C-54An Act to Promote Physical Activity & Sport

-2002-


• Replace and modernize the Fitness and Amateur Sport Act

• Responds to the complexities of the modern world of sport

• Supports the development of the Canadian sport system

• The term “fitness” would be replaced with “physical activity”

• The term “amateur” is removed from the Act

-2002-


Measures to pursue the objectives:• Encourage the promotion of sport• Under-represented groups• Co-ordinate federal initiatives• Encourage provincial & territorial governments• Encourage the private sector• Encourage an alternative dispute resolution

Sport and the National

• Privileged place of sport in the construction of national identity (press)

• Inclusion and exclusion of populations• National images to support political &

social agendas (Confederation)• Sport of hockey• Vancouver 2010

Sport and the National

THE END

Documents

The Emergence of an Elite Sport Formation in Canada, 1943-2004 December 2, 2004