Safe Sport
Canada Sport Commission’s Final Report: Time for Action
Date: April 7, 2026
Background
On March 24, 2026, the Future of Sport in Canada Commission (Commission) released its final report (Report), calling for sweeping reforms to sport governance, safe sport enforcement, and oversight across the Canadian sport system.
The Report concludes that Canada’s sport system is “broken” and “unsustainable”, with maltreatment being widespread and persistent across all levels of sport. The Commission calls for an urgent and comprehensive overhaul, including the need for improved governance and increased funding. The Commission also describes how the proliferation of sports organizations and overlapping mandates has led to “inefficiencies, duplications, a lack of alignment, and confusion.”
To address these issues, the Commission makes 98 Calls to Action, organized by implementation timelines:
- Immediate (0–12 months)
- Short-term (0–2 years)
- Long-term (2–5 years)
These recommendations signal the Commission’s direction of travel for future regulatory, funding, and governance expectations requirements and could be very impactful for sports organizations, colleges, universities, and many others in the coming months. The key near-, mid-, and long-term aspects are detailed below.
Immediate Actions
Maintain the Current Safe Sport Framework, Increase Collaboration, and Adopt the Canadian Sport Governance Code
Until the Commission’s short-term and long-term Calls to Action are implemented (if they are), the Commission has called to maintain a number of items already established in Canada’s safe sport framework. Specifically:
- Maintaining the adoption of the Universal Code of Conduct to Prevent and Address Maltreatment in Sport (UCCMS), as a condition of all federally funded sport organizations
- Maintaining the adoption of the Canadian Safe Sport Program as a condition of funding for all federally funded sport organizations and maintaining the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport’s (known as Sport Integrity Canada as of January 1, 2026) (CCES) mandate to independently administer the program
- Maintaining the mandate given to the CCES to design, develop, and maintain e-learning courses and other educational resources on the Canadian Safe Sport Program, its rules, and its report process
The Commission emphasized that monitoring and auditing of federally funded sport organizations must be regular, proactive, and effective. This includes ensuring compliance with good governance practices and safe sport requirements.
The Commission also called for increased collaboration between safe sport experts and the government, and between various levels of government. This includes developing a National Background Screening Policy in collaboration with experts. In doing so, the Commission suggests that all federally funded sport organizations implement the National Background Screening Policy, which would be maintained by a National Multisport Service Organization, until a Centralized Sport Entity is established. The Commission called for the Federal government to collaborate with the provinces and territories to increase their funding to support community-level sport.
The Commission has also called for the adoption of the Canadian Sport Governance Code (Code) for all federally funded organizations, in order to receive funding from the Government of Canada. The purpose of the Code is to ensure gender equity and athlete representation within the governance structures of sport organizations. The Commission also calls for ongoing reviews of the Code, in collaboration with governance experts. The first of these reviews will include enhancements to mandate board diversity, athlete representation, training on anti-racism, inclusion, preventing and addressing maltreatment in sport, and improved transparency for sport organizations.
Short-Term Actions
Build a Multilateral Sport Framework and Implement Universal Screening, Training, and Safeguarding (Including EDI+A Standards)
The Commission’s primary short-term recommendation is to develop a Multilateral Sport Framework, whereby the provinces and territories collaborate to form universal policies, and practices and procedures that further safe sport objectives.
A central focus of this recommendation is the expanded adoption of the UCCMS, which the Commission identifies as the principal national safe sport standard. Currently, the UCCMS applies to federally funded National Sport Organizations and Multi-Sport Organizations. However, there is no requirement for the sport organizations at the provincial, territorial, community, and private levels to adopt the UCCMS. Accordingly, it has not been adopted consistently.
To expand the UCCMS’s application, the Commission recommends a harmonized safe sport standard across all levels of sport. Under the Multilateral Sport Framework, Provincial and Territorial Sport Organizations would be required to implement UCCMS-consistent standards through legislation, regulation, or a code of conduct, establish an independent safe sport authority with jurisdiction over maltreatment complaints, ensure information sharing and participation in a national sanctions registry, and adopt universal screening and governance standards.
The Multilateral Sport Framework also contemplates a negotiated bilateral funding agreement between the federal government and each participating province and territory. These agreements would set out conditions for federal funding, require jurisdiction-specific action plans outlining the implementation of safe sport objectives, and impose annual reporting obligations on the use and impact of federal funding. This increased oversight may include independent audits tied to funding and participation in this framework. Audits may assess adherence to safe sport standards, screening, governance requirements, and complaint handling processes.
Underlying these expectations is the Commission’s emphasis on the realignment of sport organizations, which include establishing shared services among sport organizations (i.e., sharing human resource services between sport organizations), amalgamating sport organizations, and standardizing policies to ensure their consistent application across the sport system (i.e., encouraging National Sport Organizations to ensure consistency of the application of its policies across all levels of their sport).
The Commission also emphasizes coordinated education and training requirements, standardized background screening, and robust reporting mechanisms to ensure that individuals working with athletes are subject to uniform safeguards. In practical terms, this would move organizations toward background screening requirements for coaches, staff, volunteers, and contractors, including periodic re-screening. Organizations may be expected to implement mandatory training for staff and volunteers addressing maltreatment prevention, reporting obligations, and athlete protection. This includes designating a safeguarding officer who would be responsible for monitoring compliance and ensuring prevention measures are implemented consistently.
The Commission also proposes the creation of a “Pan-Canadian Registry of Sanctioned Individuals”, which would be intended to prevent individuals who have been sanctioned in one organization from moving to another without prior disclosure. This would impact practices regarding hiring employees and volunteers.
Further, the Commission has called on the federal government (in collaboration with equity-deserving groups) to create and implement a national strategy with standards on equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility in sport and physical activity.
Long-Term Actions
Prepare for a Centralized Sport Entity
The Commission’s primary long-term recommendation is the creation of a “Centralized Sport Entity”, empowered by legislation, to coordinate governance, compliance, and oversight across Canadian sport. This would represent a significant departure from the current decentralized model.
The Commission emphasized that the jurisdiction of this authority or tribunal should extend through all sports organizations, including grassroots and local organizations, who have not yet been regulated in the safe sport context.
Until this kind of Centralized Sport Entity is established, the Commission has called to maintain the CCES as the custodian of the UCCMS.
Key Takeaways for Sport Organizations
Creating and protecting a respectful sport culture is as important now as ever, especially in light of the Report’s findings and calls for action. As sports organizations continue to move forward in shifting focus to preventing maltreatment and prohibited behaviours, organizations may anticipate increased safe sport regulation and compliance in the future.
Practical steps for sport organizations to take now:
- Assess governance and audit readiness: Consider whether your governance and risk management frameworks are prepared for centralized oversight, including independent audits and safe sport compliance to receive funding.
- Formalize complaint and escalation procedures: Prepare to implement more robust complaint mechanisms and processes, including comprehensive complaint intake, investigation, and resolution pathways.
- Review hiring and onboarding practices: Ensure screening practices and training requirements and other recruitment practices include thorough documentation and reporting protocols. The proposed “Pan-Canadian Registry of Sanctioned Individuals” may affect recruitment and volunteer engagement.
We will continue to monitor the progress of the final report. For organizations looking for assistance with safe sport alignment, policy drafting, or regarding any questions, please contact Brittany G. Bates, Frank Cesario, or Kayley C. Leon.
The authors thank Nabila Farid and Christopher Howard, 2025-2026 articling students, for their assistance with this article.
The article in this client update provides general information and should not be relied on as legal advice or opinion. This publication is copyrighted by Hicks Morley Hamilton Stewart Storie LLP and may not be photocopied or reproduced in any form, in whole or in part, without the express permission of Hicks Morley Hamilton Stewart Storie LLP. ©