Intergovernmental Sport Policy Development

Federal-Provincial/Territorial Sport Committee (FPTSC)

History

Federal-Provincial/Territorial (F-P/T) governments have had a record of strong collaboration on sport and physical activity items since the 1960's. In 1986, Federal-Provincial/Territorial Ministers Responsible for Sport, Fitness and Recreation established the FPTSC as a formal mechanism for cooperation between the federal government and the Provinces/Territories at the officials' level in matters relating to sport, fitness and recreation.

The original impetus for the creation of the FPTSC was to increase opportunities for dialogue between officials at all levels and to work co-operatively in establishing yearly initiatives for joint projects and activities; to clearly define roles and responsibilities for the various levels of government in sport; and to reduce the costs through the initiation of joint projects and activities with shared funding responsibilities.

The FPTSC's work was significantly shaped by the National Recreation Statement (1987) which clearly defined the roles and responsibilities of federal and provincial/territorial governments for recreation, sport, and physical activity and provided a formal framework for collaboration among governments.

In the 1990's, the FPTSC's growing agenda focused primarily on F-P/T initiatives concerning the  Canada Games, the National Coaching Certification program and a variety of Aboriginal Issues.

The work of the FPTSC reached new levels in the period of 2000-2002 with governments' development of the first ever inter-governmental policy for sport, the Canadian Sport Policy.   The Policy reflects the interests and concerns of 14 government jurisdictions and the Canadian sport community, and represents a shared vision and common goals for sport in Canada for the period of 2002-2012.  The Policy and the Federal-Provincial/Territorial Priorities for Collaborative Action, adopted by the Ministers in 2002, ushered in a wide range of activities in support of the four goals of the Policy: Enhanced Participation, Enhanced Excellence, Enhanced Collaboration and Enhanced Interaction.

Recognizing the interest of each P/T government in focusing on their jurisdiction-specific priorities, and recognizing the incremental impact of aligning public investment on a limited number of priorities, in 2002 via the F-P/T Priorities for Collaborative Action, governments agreed to implement bilateral agreements that would lead to innovation in sport service, programming and delivery, which each government could pursue according to their respective interest or capacity. By 2005, bilateral agreements had been reached between the federal government and all 13 provincial/territorial governments.  In 2006, Aboriginal-specific bilateral agreements were developed, with a specific focus on enhancing the capacity of provincial/territorial Aboriginal sport bodies.

Ministers Conferences

Prior to 2000, with the exception of a period during the 1980's when conferences were held almost every year, Ministers' Conferences were held at the time and place of the Canada Games, which occur approximately every 18 months.  However, in 2000, in response to a growing F-P/T agenda, Ministers returned to meeting annually.  In July 2006, Deputy Ministers agreed that Ministers' Conferences should be rescheduled to provide for three meetings every four years and the time between meetings increased from one year to between 15 and 18 months.  

Conferences in Canada Games-years are hosted by the Minister of the P/T hosting the Games; conferences in the "off-Canada Games years" are hosted by Canada in a site of its choosing.  The Conferences are co-chaired by Canada and the P/T government that is hosting the Canada Games.  The federal chair is shared by the Minister responsible for sport (or Minister/Secretary of State) and the Minister responsible for physical activity (Minister of Health). 

The Ministers Conference is the primary vehicle for Ministers to identify priorities, make policy decisions and provide direction to F-P/T officials for collaborative work.  The agenda for the conference is based on advancing the goals of the Canadian Sport Policy (2002-2012), established priorities for collaborative action, emerging issues and on Ministers' direction at the previous year's conference.


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F-P/T Mechanism for Sport Policy Development

Preparations for Ministers Conferences and implementation of the Ministers' decisions is managed by the F-P/T "mechanism for sport" which consists of the following committees:

  • F-P/T Deputy Ministers' Committee (DMs)
  • F-P/T Deputy Ministers' Work Group (DMWG)
  • Federal-Provincial/Territorial Sport Committee (FPTSC)
  • FPTSC Work Groups
  • Interprovincial Sport and Recreation Council (ISRC)

F-P/T Deputy Ministers' Committee

Composed of all the Federal-Provincial/Territorial Deputy Ministers responsible for sport, physical activity and recreation, the DM's Committee is directly responsible for preparing recommendations for the Ministers and implementing their decisions. The Committee meets several times a year, in person and via teleconference.

F-P/T Deputy Ministers' Work Group 

The DMWG is comprised of up to six Deputy Ministers, as appointed by the Deputy Minister Co-chairs including the Assistant Deputy Minister from Canadian Heritage, and five P/T Deputy Ministers. The work group is co-chaired by one of the P/T Deputy Ministers and the Assistant Deputy Minister from Canadian Heritage.  P/T membership is identified at the time of the Ministers' Conference conducted in Canada Games years. 

Initially established following the Ministers Conference in 2001, the objectives of the DMWG are to act in an advisory capacity to the DMs' Committee by: overseeing implementation of the Canadian Sport Policy and the F-P/T Priorities for Collaborative Action 2002-2005 and 2007-2012, and providing direction to the FPTSC as required.

F-P/T Sport Committee (FPTSC)

The FPTSC is responsible to the DMs' Committee for managing the implementation of sport deliverables from the F-P/T Ministers Conference, as well as those contained in the F-P/T Priorities for Collaborative Action, including the direction of resources and monitoring of progress. The FPTSC invites key stakeholders from the sport community to participate in its committee work, as members of FPTSC work groups, when appropriate.

FPTSC Composition

The FPTSC is composed of three federal representatives from Sport Canada, one of whom is the co-chair of the FPTSC, and six provincial/territorial delegates, one of whom is the other co-chair of the FPTSC.  The P/T representatives are appointed by the ISRC based on one per geographical region (Atlantic, Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba/Saskatchewan, British Columbia/Alberta and the North). Additionally, one P/T representative and one federal government representative sit on the committee to serve as part of the FPTSC Secretariat.

The F-P/T Sport Committee responsible for sport policy development, is complemented by the F-P/T Physical Activity and Recreation Committee (PARC) which is responsible for intergovernmental policy development relating to physical activity. The two committees collaborate on items of common interest in the preparation of recommendations for the DM's committee.

FPTSC Secretariat

The FPTSC Secretariat provides coordination and technical support to the FPTSC and Deputy Ministers Committee to enable them to maximize their focus, time and expertise on implementing their objectives.  The Secretariat also manages the activities of the various FPTSC work groups that are established to assist the work of the FPTSC.  The Secretariat is accountable to the FPTSC co-chairs.

The Secretariat is comprised of federal and provincial/territorial government representatives.  Such design strengthens the Secretariat's legitimacy and effectiveness by ensuring that the perspective of both orders of government is included in its work.


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FPTSC Work Groups

The FPTSC establishes work groups to prepare recommendations related to the sport deliverables for its consideration.  These work groups are co-chaired by Sport Canada and P/T officials.  A brief terms of reference is prepared for each work group that articulates its membership, deliverables, and timelines.  Representatives from key stakeholders and expert groups in the sport sector are included on work groups where possible.

Interprovincial Sport and Recreation Council (ISRC) 

In 1971, provincial and territorial governments created the Provincial Directors' Council as a forum to share information and explore opportunities for cooperation. The Council is actively involved in coordinating programs and policies at the provincial-territorial, interprovincial-territorial and national levels.  The name of the Council was changed in 1978 to the Interprovincial Sport and Recreation Council (ISRC). 

The FPTSC works closely with the ISRC, especially in preparation of recommendations for the DMs Committee. The adoption of the Canadian Sport Policy and the identification of F-P/T Priorities for Collaborative Action have reinforced the importance of ISRC members and their federal government counterparts meeting on a regular basis. As such, meetings of the ISRC, for the most part, are joint ISRC/Federal officials' functions, facilitating information sharing and collaborative planning.

ISRC Composition

Since the central purpose of the ISRC is to provide an intergovernmental forum, membership on the ISRC is open to all provincial and territorial governments in Canada.  Each province or territory is represented on the Council by the senior officer, at the director level, responsible for provincial-territorial sport, physical activity and recreation programs in their jurisdiction, or their designate(s).

PROVINCIAL - TERRITORIAL and FEDERAL - PROVINCIAL - TERRITORIAL MECHANISMS FOR CO-OPERATION

PROVINCIAL - TERRITORIAL and FEDERAL - PROVINCIAL - TERRITORIAL MECHANISMS FOR CO-OPERATION

F-P/T Policy Highlights Since 2000

Since 2002, the FPTSC has been successful in advancing many joint federal-provincial/territorial sport initiatives such as:

  • The Canadian Sport Policy and the Priorities for Collaborative Action 2002-2005 and 2007-2012

  • Action Plan for Canadian Strategy for Ethical Conduct in Sport (2003) and, Canadian Policy Against Doping in Sport (2004)

  • Strategic Framework for Hosting International Sport Events in Canada (2004)

  • Canadian Strategy on Sport and Physical Activity for Girls and Women (2004)

  • Multi-party funding agreements for the North American Indigenous Games (NAIG) (2004)

  • Development of recommendations for Section 83 of the Canada Criminal Code (prize fighting provisions) (2004)

  • Revisions to National Coaching Certification Program (2004) and the creation of new organization for coaching education (2005)

  • Priorities for Aboriginal sport development and physical activity (2005)

  • Sport Benchmark and Monitoring Program (2005)

  • Athlete Performance Targets for Canada at the 2010 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games (2005)

  • Canadian Sport for Life: Long-Term Athlete Development Model (2005)

  • Strengthening Canada: The Social-economic Benefits of Sport Participation in Canada presented to Ministers (2005)

  • Bilateral agreements negotiated between federal and all P/T governments to increase participation in sport, Aboriginal sport and NAIG travel (ongoing)

  • Canada Games Hosting Rotation (2007)

  • Canada Games Alignment with "Canadian Sport for Life" (2008)

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Annex 1 - FPTSC Priorities for 2008-2009

Consisting of both new and previously identified work items (continued work from previous years), the following is a list of FPTSC priorities for 2008-09. This list is subject to change to reflect emerging issues and/or direction from F-P/T Ministers:

Formal Funding Framework for NAIG Travel
Formal framework to guide F-P/T funding for travel, including mandatory pan-Canadian Standards for athlete preparation and team selection.

Review of the Base Budget for the Hosting of NAIG in Canada
Determination of the base budget cost for hosting NAIG when in Canada.

Aboriginal Coach Apprenticeship Program
Prepare and implement an apprenticeship program on a pilot basis for the 2009 and 2011 Canada Games.

Canada Games Marketing Issues
Development of a set of objectives, principles and roles and responsibilities with regard to marketing of the Canada Games.

Performance Management - towards a summative evaluation of the Canadian Sport Policy
Development of a final evaluation framework and critical path for a summative evaluation for the Canadian Sport Policy.

Coaching Association of Canada Mandate Review and Renewal
Routine review (every 4 years) of CAC mandate as well as the development of a new economic framework to support the development, delivery, and promotion of the national coach and sport leader development program.

Enhanced Sport Organization Collaboration: Alignment of Funding Frameworks
Development of recommendations for Long Term Athlete Development (LTAD) implementation, alignment of funding frameworks between governments and standardized membership definitions.

Canadian Sport for Life
Development and monitoring of the implementation of a multi-year, multi-sectoral plan.

Data Collection
Development of sport participation data and a data collection strategy for Aboriginal sport participation.

Annex 2 - Active Work Groups 2008-2009

  • Canadian Sport for Life (Management Team)
  • Canada Games Marketing Issues
  • Sport Participation Data Collection
  • Sustained Engagement and Collaboration
  • Alignment of F-P/T Funding Frameworks
  • Canadian Sport Policy Performance Management
  • Pan-Canadian Minimum Standards for Team Selection and Athlete Preparation - NAIG
  • Coaching Association of Canada: Mandate Review

Annex 3 - Committee Membership 2008/2009

Deputy Ministers Committee

Marie-Geneviève Mounier, Canadian Heritage (Co-chair)
Dr. David Butler-Jones, Health Canada (Co-chair)
Bill Weary, Alberta
David Galbraith, BC
Cynthia Morton, Ontario
Phoebe Hainnu, Nunavut
Duff Montgomerie, NS
Jeff Polakoff, NWT
Cathy Duke, NFLD
Sandra Hardy, Manitoba
Ellen Barry, NB
Tracey Cutcliffe, PEI (Co-chair)
Marie-Claude Champoux, Quebec
Van Isman, Saskatchewan
Jeff O'Farrell, Yukon

Current Deputy Ministers Work Group (Sport)

Marie-Geneviève Mounier, Canadian Heritage
Bill Werry, Alberta
David Galbraith, BC
Ellen Barry, NB
Tracey Cutcliffe, PEI
Marie-Claude Champoux, Quebec
Van Isman, Saskatchewan
Jeff O'Farrell, Yukon

Current FPTSC Membership

Jeff Hnatiuk, Co-chair - Manitoba
Dan Smith, Co-chair - Sport Canada
Bryan Ozorio, Ontario
Roger Duval, NB
Vern Haggard, Yukon
Graham McKay, BC
Eric Pilote, Quebec
Roger Kramers, Alberta
Steve Findlay, Sport Canada
Bruce Taylor, Sport Canada
Russell Zavitz, Ontario (FPTSC Secretariat)
Katie Brambley, Sport Canada (FPTSC Secretariat)

Current ISRC Membership

Karen Thomson, Yukon (Chair)
Jeff Hnatiuk, Manitoba (VP, Sport)
Farida Gabbani, NS (VP, Physical Activity)
John Morisson, PEI (VP, Finance)
Jimmy Tee, Nfld
Lloyd Bentz, Alberta
Margo Ross (A/Doug Wrean), BC
Annette Wilborn, Manitoba
Roger Duval, NB
Ian Legaree, NWT
Rick Beaver, Ontario
Robert Bédard, Quebec
Nevin Danielson, Sask
Marilyn Neily, Nunavut