Government of Canada and Province of New Brunswick Extend Agreement to Increase Participation in Sport
FREDERICTON, October 12, 2005--The Honourable Andy Scott, Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development, on behalf of the Honourable Stephen Owen, Minister of Western Economic Diversification and Minister of State (Sport), and the Honourable Percy Mockler, New Brunswick's Minister of International and Intergovernmental Relations and Minister responsible for the Culture and Sport Secretariat, today announced a new bilateral agreement to increase participation in sport and physical activity in New Brunswick."The Government of Canada is committed to increasing opportunities for all Canadians to participate in sport," said Minister Scott, Member of Parliament (Frederiction). "Sport and physical activity can provide fun and social ways of keeping fit and help people stay healthy and live longer."
"We are pleased to continue our partnership with New Brunswick," said Minister Owen. "This agreement represents a significant investment in initiatives to improve the health of the people of New Brunswick, and it contributes to our goal of making the sport system more inclusive, so that all Canadians can enjoy the benefits of sport."
"I am very pleased to work as a partner with the federal government to encourage sport participation in New Brunswick," said Minister Percy Mockler. "This agreement provides funding to support community initiatives involving sport and physical activity."
This agreement provides more than $1.4 million over three years to support initiatives that encourage physical activity to improve health among children and young people. The Governments of Canada and New Brunswick initially signed a two-year agreement in 2003 for a total contribution of $720,000. Today's announcement continues this successful partnership until 2007-2008 and brings the annual federal and provincial contribution to $480,000 over three years.
Initiatives under the bilateral agreement provide sport participation programming for children and young people and aim to reduce barriers for under-represented groups. They also support public education programs, such as athlete mentors who promote sport participation in schools and community organizations. Other initiatives enable provincial sport organizations to deliver leadership training and hire technical experts. The province will also work in partnership with the Mi'kmaq-Maliseet Sport and Recreation Circle to develop an action plan to encourage the participation of Aboriginal people in sport.
The Canada-New Brunswick partnership is an initiative related to the Canadian Sport Policy. The Policy, endorsed by all federal, provincial, and territorial governments in 2002, targets participation as one of the key areas for improvement in Canada's sport system. It sets a goal of improving 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 single largest investor in Canada's sport system. A total of 140 million was announced in the 2005-2006 Budget for initiatives that support our high-performance athletes and increase Canadians' participation in sport.
Funding for this initiative was provided for in the February 2005 federal budget and is therefore 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
Campbell Morrison
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development
(819) 997-0002
Ryan Donaghy
Communications Officer
Culture and Sport Secretariat
Government of New Brunswick
(506) 457-6445
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