As of April 1, 2025, the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport (CCES) will independently administer the Universal Code of Conduct to Prevent and Address Maltreatment in Sport (UCCMS) through the application of the new Canadian Safe Sport Program (CSSP) Rules for federally funded, national-level sport organizations.
Following several rounds of extensive consultation with experts and the sport community, the CCES is pleased to share the final version of the CSSP Rules. Thank you to everyone who provided feedback and participated in the consultation process.
The following documents will be in effect as of April 1, 2025:
- CSSP Rules
- CSSP Rules, redlined v2 to final
- Explanatory document
- UCCMS, version 7.0
- UCCMS, version 7.0, redlined to final
- CSSP Privacy Policy
- CSSP Privacy Policy summary
Canadian Safe Sport Program Rules Adoption
The CSSP Rules adoption process will take place between January and March 2025. Federally funded, national-level sport organizations are required to adopt the CSSP as a valid policy document and it must be incorporated into the organization’s rules. CCES staff will contact all federally funded sport organizations individually to help them through the onboarding and implementation of the rules and associated requirements. Organizations will be provided with a complete adoption process guide and designated CCES safe sport contact for ongoing support throughout the adoption process.
Contact the CCES about Safe Sport
- Email [email protected], or
- Call 613-521-3340.
UPDATE: Wind-down of Abuse-Free Sport Program
The CCES has been working with Sport Canada and the Sport Dispute Resolution Centre of Canada (SDRCC) to ensure a smooth wind down of the Abuse-Free Sport Program, including the Office of the Sport Integrity Commissioner (OSIC), and the launch of the new CSSP. As explained below, the OSIC’s operations will be extended to support the resolution of as many cases as possible with the goal of minimizing disruption for sport participants, especially victims and survivors of maltreatment.
The following measures will come into effect beginning February 1, 2025:
- OSIC will continue to accept reports but will not start new investigations.
- Reports will be reviewed to see if immediate action through provisional measures is warranted.
- Reports not requiring immediate action will be held until April 1, 2025, when those reports will be shared, with the consent of the parties, with the CCES to see if they qualify under the CSSP.
- Potential complainants can also wait until April 1, 2025, to submit their report directly to the CCES.
- OSIC will continue to provide support services for sport participants, including victims and survivors, such as the Abuse-Free Sport Helpline, Mental Health Support Program, and Legal Aid Program, which will be available until March 31, 2025.
- The CSSP will launch, and the CCES will begin handling reports and providing support services.
- The OSIC will stop accepting new reports but will finish handling reports received before February 1, 2025.
- If any complainants during the February-March period choose to pursue their report with the CCES on or after April 1, 2025, their report information will be shared with the CCES and the CCES will review those reports to see if they qualify under the CSSP.
- If any cases are still unresolved at the end of this period, OSIC will advise parties that the cases cannot be resolved by OSIC and, with the consent of the parties, the CCES will determine their eligibility under the new program.
- The OSIC will close.
- The CCES will fully take over the administration of the UCCMS under the new CSSP.
Background
On May 2, 2024, the Honourable Carla Qualtrough, then-Minister of Sport and Physical Activity, announced that the CCES would administer the UCCMS as of April 1, 2025. The CCES has been working closely with the SDRCC, who manages the current OSIC and the Abuse-Free Sport Program, on a plan to ensure there is no interruption in services to sport organizations and athletes. The CCES would like to recognize the significant work done by the SDRCC to launch and operate Canada’s first Abuse-Free Sport Program and the OSIC. Click here for the Minister's update.
NOTE: The current versions of the OSIC and Abuse-Free Sport remain in force and are under the authority of the SDRCC until April 1, 2025. Please visit the Abuse-Free Sport website for more information: www.abuse-free-sport.ca.
Consultation Process
From June to December 2024, the CCES conducted an extensive consultation process. As the program launches and grows, we are committed to moving forward in this same collaborative approach.
June 2024
The CCES surveyed existing Abuse-Free Sport signatories to gather feedback and information to inform revisions to the program.
July to September 2024
A first draft of the next version of this program was written using the information gathered in the survey, guided by a diverse set of experts including athletes. The draft was accompanied by an explanatory document that clearly identifies the revisions and the rationale to support them.
October to early November 2024
The first draft of the Canadian Safe Sport Program (CSSP) Rules was released. The sport community was invited to provide feedback on the draft and share their experiences with the current program through one of five consultations.
November 2024
The first draft of the CSSP Rules was revised based on feedback from consultations.
December 2024
The draft CSSP Rules (version 2), redline version, and a supporting explanatory document are available for a final round of feedback, to be submitted via email or phone as outlined above.
- Draft Canadian Safe Sport Program Rules (version 2)
- Draft Canadian Safe Sport Program Rules (version 2) - Redline
- Explanatory document
- Adoption Contract and Participant Consent Form (for review and reference only)
January 2025
The final Canadian Safe Sport Program Rules were published on January 17.
January through March 2025
The adoption process will begin. CCES staff will help all federally funded sport organizations through the onboarding and implementation of the rules and associated requirements.
April 1, 2025
The new Canadian Safe Sport Program Rules will come into effect for national-level participants of all federally funded sport organizations. All matters related to the UCCMS will be reported through the CCES.
FAQ
In December 2023, the Government of Canada announced that OSIC and the Abuse-Free Sport Program would be moved out of the Sport Dispute Resolution Centre of Canada (SDRCC) to preserve both the independence of the safe sport program and of the SDRCC in its statutory role as an alternative dispute resolution service provider, to best support athletes and those seeking its services, and to further strengthen the integrity of the Canadian sport system.
The CCES is an independent, national, not-for-profit, multi-sport organization with a vision of fair, safe, accessible, and inclusive sport for everyone. There are no representatives from sport or government on the CCES Board of Directors. It was established as a recommendation of the Dubin Inquiry, which determined that an independent organization was required to administer anti-doping processes for sport in Canada. Since its inception, the CCES has provided independent service to the Canadian sport community and is also trusted by global partners.
Given its current operating structures and regulatory systems, the CCES was well positioned to build and effectively administer the CSSP. What is more, as the CCES is Canada’s leader in sport integrity issues, it is fitting to house the country’s independent safe sport program within this organization. Several other countries have consolidated the management of sport integrity issues in one centralized independent organization, including Sport Integrity Australia, FINCIS (Finnish Center for Integrity in Sports), Swiss Sport Integrity, and New Zealand.
The CCES was established as a recommendation of the Dubin Inquiry, which determined that an independent organization was required to administer anti-doping processes for sport in Canada. Since its inception, the CCES has provided independent service to the Canadian sport community and is trusted by global partners and clients.
The CCES will review its operations to ensure processes that maximize independence are in place and will engage experts in governance to recommend additional steps the CCES should take to conduct this work with the appropriate independence.
Feedback from the sport community will provide insight that will help the CCES develop a safe sport program that meets the needs of the Canadian sport system. Information about the consultation process will be available soon.
The CCES has been engaging in consultations with the sport community since June 2024. A key focus of the consultations is the development of the Canadian Safe Sport Program (CSSP) Rules that set out how the CCES will independently administer the Universal Code of Conduct to Prevent and Address Maltreatment in Sport (UCCMS). Following two rounds of consultation with the sport community and subject matter experts, the rules will be finalized and available for adoption by federally funded sport organizations at the national level in January 2025.
Adoption of the CSSP Rules will take place from January 20 – March 31, 2025. CCES representatives will be in contact with sport organizations on an individual basis in January regarding CSSP adoption contracts and answer any questions. During this time, organizations will sign onto the CSSP Rules while remaining signatories of Abuse-Free Sport until the April 1 deadline.
Regarding participant consent, a mandatory e-learning will be accessible via the same Absorb platform that is used for the Canadian Anti-Doping Program’s educational components. This e-learning is designed to explain the consent form so that the participant understands what they are agreeing to under the terms of the CSSP and the UCCMS. Each participant in your organization who is subject to the CSSP will need to complete the approximately 40-minute e-learning. Once completed, the platform will prompt the participant to sign the consent form.
In December 2023, the Future of Sport in Canada Commission was announced. The Commission was tasked with undertaking an independent and forward-looking review of Canada’s sport system.
The CCES is not connected to the Future of Sport in Canada Commission, though findings from its work may help shape the safe sport mandate and inform the next iteration of the UCCMS. The Commission's consultations provide an opportunity for the sport community to share ideas on the structure required to manage sport integrity issues in Canada. The CCES has met twice with the Commission to discuss several sport integrity concerns, including safe sport.
In May 2024, a Government of Canada announcement stated that the CCES will evolve its organizational mandate to encompass all aspects of sport integrity, which is a relatively new concept. A sport integrity agency is an organizational model that sees all integrity issues managed by one organization that is at arm’s length from sport and independent of outside influence.
The CCES currently manages two programs to address major integrity issues, doping and competition manipulation, and the addition of safe sport will make the CCES the central agency for integrity issues in Canada.
To contact the CCES about consultation opportunities or the program transition, email [email protected].
Reports of maltreatment should continue to be directed to the OSIC until March 31, 2025. For more information, go to sportintegritycommissioner.ca.