Heritage minister says Sport Canada won't fund CFL season in Winnipeg
Prospects for Canadian football in 2020 darken, though 'financial institution' could provide Hail Mary
Canada's heritage minister has poured cold water on the idea of providing cash for the Canadian Football League, leaving the prospect of a truncated season in Winnipeg in doubt.
On Tuesday, the CFL selected the Manitoba capital as the hub site of a 60-game season that would take place over 15 weeks, beginning in September.
The Manitoba government committed $2.5 million worth of funding to allow the league to use Winnipeg's IG Field as the site of every game, including the Grey Cup.
The CFL season still cannot proceed without a collective bargaining agreement between the league and its players. The league has also asked Ottawa for $42.5 million worth of funding.
On Wednesday in Ottawa, Conservative MP Kevin Waugh (Saskatoon-Grasswood) asked Canadian Heritage Minister Steven Guilbeault whether the cash was on the way.
Guilbeault ruled out Sport Canada as a source of that funding.
"We understand that for many Canadians, professional sport is a facet of their daily life and we certainly respect that," he said.
"Through Sport Canada, our government funds amateur and youth programs across the country. Sport Canada does not provide funding for profit-independent leagues or those outside of Football Canada's mandate.
"We encourage organizations in need of assistance to talk to their financial institution and to see what options are available to them."
That led Waugh, a former sports journalist, to quip: "So I take it then, Mr. Chair, the answer would be 'no' to the Canadian Football League?"
CBC News has asked the league to comment.
Earlier Wednesday, Winnipeg Football Club president and CEO Wade Miller said without federal funding, there will be no CFL season.
"We won't have a 2020 CFL season, quite frankly. The CFL's a gate-driven league. We need our fans in the stands watching games and as a league, it's just not sustainable for us to play," Miller said.
The CFL and CFL Players' Association are still negotiating amendments to their collective bargaining agreement that would allow for a season truncated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The CFLPA declined to comment on the talks.
Meanwhile, there is some opposition in Manitoba to the idea of Winnipeg serving as a hub city for the league. Many CFL players would travel from the United States, where the pandemic continues to surge out of control.
The hub-city plan proposed for Winnipeg would see all players live and work within a professional bubble that would restrict their movements to designated hotels, practice facilities, restaurants and IG Field.
Dr. Brent Roussin, Manitoba's chief provincial public health officer, said Monday the league would be responsible for policing this bubble.
The Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs said that plan is not adequate for the purposes for protecting vulnerable Indigenous and non-Indigenous Manitobans.
"I understand that the players will be in self-isolation and in a 'bubble' once in Winnipeg; however, this bubble can be easily popped with potentially disastrous consequences for the poor and marginalized who call Winnipeg and Manitoba home," AMC Grand Chief Arlen Dumas said Tuesday in a statement.
On Wednesday, Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister said the league can operate in Winnipeg and provide revenue for the hospitality industry without compromising the safety of Manitobans.
"We are one of the safest jurisdictions in the world and we plan to keep it that way," Pallister said on during a press conference on the north bank of the Assiniboine River in Winnipeg.
"I'm not asking people to do anything but continue to be vigilant and we will continue to be vigilant too, but we also need to seize opportunities when we have them.
"This is a golden opportunity for Manitoba to help give people some jobs back and provide some quality entertainment."
As of Wednesday afternoon, Manitoba had 49 active cases of COVID-19.
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With files from The Canadian Press and CBC's Janice Grant