Governments of Canada and Quebec Join Efforts to Increase Participation in Sport and Physical Activity in Quebec
MONTRÉAL, November 23, 2005 -- The Honourable Jean-C. Lapierre, Minister of Transport, on behalf of the Honourable Stephen Owen, Minister of Western Economic Diversification and Minister of State (Sport), and Quebec Minister of Education, Recreation and Sports, Jean-Marc Fournier, today announced a bilateral agreement to increase participation in sport and physical activity in Quebec. Under the provisions of this agreement, each government will provide $2.5 million over four years to support initiatives that encourage children, young people, persons with disabilities, and Aboriginal people in the province to do more physical activity and sport."Sport is a life-long activity that enables both young people and adults to enjoy themselves, to achieve their potential, and to remain in good general health," said Minister LaPierre. "I am proud that our governments are joining forces to enable a greater number of Quebeckers to lead active lives and to participate in a sport."
"One of the fundamental objectives of the Canadian Sport Policy is to enable each and every citizen to lead active lives through sport", said Minister Owen. "By joining our efforts to help people and groups who experience barriers to participation, we are taking an important step in this direction."
Minister Jean-Marc Fournier pointed out that this agreement is in line with actions that the Government of Quebec has put forward in the area of sport and recreation in order to encourage the population of Quebec to be more active. Combined with the "Do it for You!" campaign to promote healthy lifestyle habits and the National Day of Sport and Physical Activity, this agreement will create more opportunities to be physically active and on a daily basis.
Initiatives provided for under the bilateral agreement focus on increasing the number of persons with disabilities who compete in sport events and increasing the number of participants in the Inter-band Aboriginal Games. Other initiatives will help raise the level of participation of children and young people in sport programs and the number of Aboriginal communities hiring sport and recreation coordinators.
The Canada–Quebec partnership is an initiative of the Canadian Sport Policy. This Policy was endorsed in 2002 by all federal, provincial, and territorial governments. It identifies participation in sport as one of the key areas for improvement in Canada's sport system. The objective is to improve participation in quality sport activities in all segments of society by 2012. Bilateral agreements under the Policy have been established with all provinces and territories.
The Government of Canada is the principal investor in Canada's sport system. During the fiscal year 2005–2006, a total of $140 million will be dedicated to initiatives that support our high-performance athletes and that increase Canadians' participation in sport.
Funding announced today was provided for in the February 2005 federal budget and is built into the existing fiscal framework.
Information:
Renée Gillen
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Western Economic Diversification and Minister of State Sport
(613) 954-1110
Stéphane Gosselin
Press Secretary
Office of the Quebec Minister of Education, Recreation and Sports
(418) 691-2050
Jean-Guy Beaupré
Chief, Media Relations
Canadian Heritage
(819) 997-9314
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