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The final report from the Future of Sport in Canada Commission, released on March 24, 2026, calls for sweeping reform after documenting what its leaders describe as a broken and under-resourced national system. Chaired by former Chief Justice Lise Maisonneuve, the commission concluded that the current setup allows for the widespread presence of maltreatment and abuse and prioritizes medals and results over participant safety. The review presents nearly 100 calls to action aimed at repairing structural failures and restoring public trust in Canadian sport.
The commission’s work began in 2026 in response to calls for a public inquiry after athletes spoke publicly about harm they endured. Rather than a public inquiry, the government appointed a commission in part to avoid exposing survivors to aggressive cross-examination. Over the course of its mandate the panel collected more than 1,000 submissions, including testimony from about 175 survivors. Those lived experiences shaped recommendations intended to move the system from reaction to sustained prevention and accountability.
What the commission found
The report identifies a web of interlocking problems: chronic underfunding, persistent governance deficits, duplication across organizations and fragmented policy implementation. A recurring theme was the system’s unhealthy tilt toward high-performance outcomes at the expense of day-to-day participant wellbeing. The commission also documented how a small group of influential leaders and decision-makers enjoyed disproportionate control over priorities and funding, which in some cases perpetuated the status quo and blocked meaningful reform.
Major recommendations
To address these failings, the panel set out immediate and phased actions. Top priorities include boosting resources for both community programs and elite performance, standardizing safety protocols, and consolidating leadership. The report favors clear lines of authority and accountability — measures designed to ensure that safety, inclusion and dignity guide decisions rather than short-term podium results. Across its recommendations the panel stresses that reforms must be evidence-led and insulated from undue political influence.
New Crown corporation to oversee sport
A flagship recommendation calls for creating a single, independent Crown corporation to serve as the national steward of sport and physical activity. The commission envisions this body taking responsibility for federal funding allocation, strategic planning for physical activity, and enforcing national standards for safe sport and governance. The model is compared to arrangements in Australia and New Zealand, where arms-length agencies combine government support with operational independence to reduce political interference and improve continuity.
Governance, roles and leadership
Alongside a central agency, the report advises establishing a single federal minister and a single department to consolidate policy and funding responsibilities that currently sit across multiple portfolios. The commission argues that a unified ministerial home and clearer institutional architecture will create greater accountability and better coordinate actions with provinces, territories and Indigenous partners. The report also warns against re-creating the same leadership networks within any new structure, noting that meaningful change requires new voices and representative governance.
Reactions and next steps
Secretary of Sport Adam van Koeverden said the government accepts the findings and will review the recommendations carefully, acknowledging that urgent, system-wide action is required. Officials committed to developing an implementation plan in partnership with provinces and territories, Indigenous organizations, athletes and under-represented communities, as well as sport bodies and the private sector. The government emphasized that restoring trust will require coordinated, long-term effort across all levels of sport.
The commission’s message is clear: current problems are systemic and fixable only through sustained structural reform, increased investment and a culture shift that centers participant safety. With nearly 100 calls to action and a proposed new national steward for sport, the report sets out a detailed road map. Its authors say that the moment for change is now and that the voices of survivors must remain central to how Canada rebuilds its sport landscape.