The Future of Sport in Canada Commission can delay its final recommendations on how to make sport safer after it was granted an extension.
Steven Guilbeault, who assumed responsibility for sports in last week's federal cabinet shuffle by new Prime Minister Mark Carney, announced Wednesday an extension to March 31, 2026, for the commission to conclude its work.
The original 18-month timeline would have ended the commission in late 2025.
The commission's job is to give recommendations on making sport safer, in light of what's been called a safe-sport crisis by Guilbeault's predecessors, and to provide opinions on improving the sport system overall.
Former sports minister Carla Qualtrough announced the commission in December, 2023. Last year's federal budget provided $10.6 million over two years to the commission.
When Lise Maisonneuve was appointed the commission's head May 9, 2024, the clock began ticking on its stated 18-month mandate to gather information, produce an initial report, hold a summit and provide final recommendations.
But after the seventh leadership change in eight years to the federal sports portfolio, the extension pushes the commission's final report from November 2025 into 2026.
While sport has largely had its own public-facing identity in federal politics in a decade of Liberal government, it's been punted under Guilbeault's umbrella a second time.
Carney made Guilbeault the Minister of Canadian Culture and Identity, Parks Canada and Quebec Lieutenant in last week's cabinet shakeup. Sport was also under Guilbeault's watch from 2019 to 2021 when it fell under his Heritage department.
Neither his office, nor the commission, immediately responded to emailed questions about why an extension was needed and what extra time will accomplish.
"Sport builds communities, stimulates economies, and contributes to the overall well-being of Canadians and the country. However, without sufficient safeguards and accountability, sport can also do harm," Guilbeault said Wednesday in a statement.
"That’s why the Government of Canada is working to build a safe, inclusive and welcoming sport system so that Canadians can experience the transformative power of sport."
The commission held cross-country consultations in a dozen cities from October to January. It also invited athletes, coaches, officials and sport organizations to participate in writing or via online submissions and surveys.
It announced earlier this month it will soon launch an anonymous public survey.
The commission said in a statement Wednesday the publication of a preliminary report and a national summit to discuss it will take place in "early fall 2025".
“The Commission has heard from many to date, and we have been pleased with the high level of interest from Canadians participating in our activities, which further confirms the importance of the Commission’s work," Maisonneuve said in the statement.
"This extension will allow the continuation of the meaningful dialogue needed to create robust, well-informed recommendations to shape a safer, improved sport system in Canada.”
Meanwhile, the investigation and management of abuse complaints in Canadian sport will transfer from the soon-to-be-defunct Office of the Sport Integrity Commissioner (OSIC) after less than three years of operating to the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport on April 1.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 19, 2025.
Donna Spencer, The Canadian Press