Sports Law 2025

CANADA Trends and Developments Contributed by: Janie Soublière, Soublière Sport Law

quality, inclusive, accessible, welcoming and safe sport experiences. The UCCMS addresses: • common principles and a commitment to advance a respectful sport culture; • standard definitions of various forms of mal - treatment, including grooming, neglect, and physical, sexual and psychological abuse; • a list of other prohibited behaviour such as retaliation, failure to report maltreatment, intentionally filing false allegations, misuse of power, etc; and • a framework for determining appropriate sanctions against such prohibited behaviour. All organisations that receive Sport Canada funding are subject to the UCCMS. The Future of Sport in Canada Commission Shocking revelations by victims, survivors and advocates over the last few years has brought to light systemic maltreatment that occurs at all levels and contexts of sport in Canada. These revelations have compelled an important exami - nation of sporting life and culture in the country. To this end, on 28 November 2024, the govern - ment of Canada announced the creation of the Future of Sport in Canada Commission. According to its own government webpage , the Commission’s aim is to review the Canadian sport system and make recommendations on concrete and effective actions with respect to: • improving safe sport in Canada, including trauma-informed approaches to support sport participants in the disclosure of and healing from maltreatment; and • improving the sport system in Canada, including but not limited to policy, funding

structures, governance, reporting, accounta - bility, conflicts of interest, systems alignment, culture and legal considerations. The federal government’s three-person commis - sion was appointed and has begun its work to investigate systemic abuse and human rights violations in Canadian sport. The goal is for a preliminary and final report to be issued with recommendations on governance, funding and policy aimed at changing the culture in sport. The Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport (CCES) to replace the OSIC On 2 May 2024, the Honourable Carla Qual - trough, Minister of Sport and Physical Activity, provided an update on the Office of the Sport Integrity Commissioner and the Abuse-Free Sport Program. The Office of the Sport Integrity Commission - er (OSIC) had previously been responsible for administering the UCCMS by among others (of legal importance): • overseeing a complaint intake process; • conducting preliminary assessments and commissioning independent investigations, when warranted; • maintaining a database of imposed sanctions; and • monitoring compliance by sporting organisa - tions, and issuing reports into its findings, as required. As of 1 April 2025, the administration of the UCCMS will move from the SDRCC to the CCES, which will effectively take on this role.

CHAMBERS.COM