On May 2, 2024, the Honourable Carla Qualtrough, Minister of Sport and Physical Activity, provided an update on the Office of the Sport Integrity Commissioner and the Abuse-Free Sport Program. It stated that the administration of the Universal Code of Conduct to Prevent and Address Maltreatment in Sport (UCCMS) will move from the Sport Dispute Resolution Centre of Canada (SDRCC) to the CCES as of April 1, 2025. Click here for the Minister's update.
Between now and April 2025, the CCES will work closely with the SDRCC on a plan to ensure there is no interruption in services to sport organizations and athletes.
In preparation, the CCES will consult broadly with its partners in sport, active and retired athletes, and subject matter experts to ensure the next iteration of the safe sport program meets the expectations and needs of the sport community.
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 Office of the Sport Integrity Commissioner.
First Draft of the Canadian Safe Sport Program Rules Now Available |
Consultation Process
We welcome thoughts from all Abuse-Free Sport Program signatories and their participants on their experiences with the program to date, and how we can build upon it going forward. Below is an outline of the consultation plan.
To provide feedback on the Canadian Safe Sport Program Rules:
- Email [email protected], or
- Call 613-521-3340.
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 will be written using the information gathered in the survey, guided by a diverse set of experts including athletes. The draft will be accompanied by an explanatory document that clearly identifies the revisions and the rationale to support them.
October or early November 2024
We encourage stakeholders to provide feedback on the draft program and share their experiences with the current program through one of five consultations. Your feedback is vital to the development of this next version. Read the advisory note.
November 2024
The first draft of the Canadian Safe Sport Program Rules will be revised based on feedback from consultations.
December 2024
Version 2 of the Canadian Safe Sport Program Rules will be released for a final round of feedback.
January 2025
The final version of the Canadian Safe Sport Program Rules will be published.
January to 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.
NOTE: During this period, the current versions of the OSIC and Abuse-Free Sport remain in force and are under the authority of the SDRCC. Please visit the Abuse-Free Sport website for more information: www.abuse-free-sport.ca.
FAQ
As stated in Minister Qualtrough’s update on the transition of the OSIC and the Abuse-Free Sport Program: “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 Program and of the SDRCC in its statutory role as an alternative dispute resolution service provider, ensure independence, best support athletes and those seeking its services, and to further strengthen the integrity of the Canadian sport system.”
The CCES is an independent organization with no representation from sport or government on its Board of Directors. Given the existing broad mandate of the CCES and its current operating structures and systems, it’s both efficient and effective to evolve the structure of the CCES to manage safe sport as well.
Several countries have consolidated the management of sport integrity issues in one centralized independent organization, like the CCES plans do to, 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.
Agreements with OSIC will remain in place until March 31, 2025. New agreements with the CCES will be enacted on April 1, 2025. Complaints will continue to be managed by OSIC until that time.
In the meantime, the CCES will consult broadly with its partners in sport, athletes (current and retired) and subject matter experts. Consultations are expected to take place in the fall of 2024, after the Olympic and Paralympic Games. The results of the Future of Sport Commission will also be incorporated into the redesign of the safe sport program.
The SDRCC established the Office of the Sport Integrity Commissioner and the Abuse-Free Sport Program, and the CCES plans to build upon the work done by SDRCC to date and learn from their challenges.
If you have suggestions to share, please participate in the consultation process in the fall of 2024.
The move to the CCES is not directly tied to the Future of Sport Commission, though findings from the commission will help shape the mandate and inform the next iteration of the UCCMS. The commission's consultations may be an opportunity for the sport community to share ideas on the structure required to manage sport integrity issues in Canada.
Minster Qualtrough’s 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 programs to address two 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.
Examples of integrity agencies include the Athletics Integrity Unit, International Tennis Integrity Agency, Swiss Sport Integrity, and Finnish Center for Integrity in Sports (FINCIS).
To contact the CCES about consultation opportunities or the program transition, email [email protected].
Reports of maltreatment should continue to be directed to the SDRCC until March 31, 2025. Go to the Abuse-Free Sport website for more information: www.abuse-free-sport.ca.