CANADA Trends and Developments Contributed by: Janie Soublière, Soublière Sport Law
Draft Canadian Safe Sport Program (CSSP) Rules were circulated to the Canadian sport community for comment in the fall of 2024. Fol - lowing several rounds of extensive consultation with experts and the sport community, the CCES has now published the final version of the CSSP, which recognises the CCES as the organisation - al body mandated to independently administer and enforce the UCCMS for national level sport participants within federally funded national and multi-sport organisations. The CSSP also estab - lishes the procedural rules by which the CCES will carry out this mandate. All federally funded, national-level sport organi - sations are required to adopt the CSSP as a valid policy document that must be incorporated into the organisation’s rules to ensure that this itera - tion of the Safe Sport Program meets the expec - tations and needs of all stakeholders. Integrity, Culture and Governance Integrity, culture and governance are catch words that are at the forefront of sport globally. National and international sporting organisa - tions, federations, associations and bodies are, rightly, under increased scrutiny to ensure that in theory and in practice the way they govern, operate, handle their books and treat their staff, athletes and all stakeholders meets ethical, mor - al and integrity standards far greater than those of the past. Soccer Canada has been under the proverbial gun for the last few years in this regard. From safe sport issues, to board, management and “toxic workplace” problems, culture crises and coaching scandals that reverberated at a global level (aka “drone gate” ), Soccer Canada has experienced difficult times.
Various investigations and reports were com - missioned and a general overhaul of how things used to be done has been successfully complet - ed by way of drastic leadership, administrative and coaching shake-ups. Soccer Canada has recently stated that is has “introduced reforms and should no longer be defined by the actions of individuals that are no longer involved with it” . If only it was that simple to step out of the shad - ows of public scrutiny! Still, Soccer Canada is neither alone nor the first organisation to deal with such scandals. Similar scandals have affected other sports in Canada (ice hockey to name the most-high profile among others). Much work has since been done by all Cana - dian organisations which have been subject to scrutiny to right the wrongs of the past, including new leadership and governance and an overhaul of rules, regulations and documented processes as well as oversight of their effective implemen - tation. As reported in the Globe and Mail (on 23 Novem - ber 2024) Soccer Canada, like other beleaguered Canadian sport organisations which faced simi - lar scandals in the past, has promised an itera - tion of “commitment to excellence integrity and transparency and accountability in every area of operations and governance to continue to renew the public trust” . It is off to a good start, and for the love of the sport and the millions of Canadian athletes who play it at all levels, one can only trust that it will continue this positive trajectory. Canada Soccer’s commitment to turn things around is a good example of how the growing, if not vital, importance attributed to integrity, accountability and good governance is better serving sport in Canada. Sport lawyers all over Canada therefore need to be aware of this devel- oping trend. There is much work to be done to
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