Canadian high-performance sport faces uncertain future

It's been a roller-coaster year in sport for Canada.

The euphoria of a dominant performance by the host country at the Pan American Games in Toronto over the summer didn't last as dreams of bidding for the Summer Olympics weren't realized.

The Canadian Olympic Committee was rocked last month by a sexual harassment scandal that led to the resignation of the organization's president.

Now, a change in government means budget uncertainty for high-performance sport.

Largely because of the 2010 Winter Olympics, the Conservative government under Stephen Harper funneled millions of taxpayer dollars towards Olympic and Paralympic athletes during the nine years they were in power.

The feel-good vibe the 2010 Games created and Canada's newfound love of watching its athletes win lots of medals made it politically justifiable, even desirable, to maintain and even increase funding to Sport Canada.

Justin Trudeau's Liberals won a majority government in last week's federal election in a challenging economic climate.

The prime minister-designate frolicked with Olympians and Paralympians on the lawns of Parliament Hill in a COC video in 2012. He sat among them and cheered them on at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens years before he entered politics.

The new prime minister may love Canada's athletes too, but he will face many competing demands on the federal coffers when the Liberal government tables its first budget.

"The last government was very supportive of amateur sport and Olympic sport in this country, and I sure hope that the new government will continue that high level of support," said former swimmer Mark Tewksbury, Canada's chef de mission at the 2012 Summer Olympics.

Flux surrounding leadership

The sudden resignation of COC president Marcel Aubut last month, less than a year from the 2016 Summer Olympics, adds to the current flux surrounding leadership in high-performance sport.

Well-connected politically, Aubut put his stamp on the COC, bringing in millions of dollars in corporate sponsorship after his election to president in 2009. Three COC communications managers came directly from the Prime Minister's Office during his tenure.

But Aubut resigned amid accusations of sexual harassment less than a month ago. His departure left a gaping hole atop the COC, which has an interim president. The organization asked an independent human resources lawyer to review its internal policies.

Canadian taxpayers have been the single biggest funder of their Olympic and Paralympic athletes.

Under Harper, the feds dedicated $150 million to high-performance sport in the four years between 2010 and 2014, which was an increase of $25 million over the previous quadrennial.

That figure doesn't include the Athletes Assistance Program, which provides up to $18,000 to approximately 1,800 "carded athletes" annually.

Own The Podium allocates about $70 million in Sport Canada funding annually to Olympic and Paralympic summer and winter sport based on medal potential.

OTP chief executive officer Anne Merklinger will be working with a new minister of sport when Trudeau names his cabinet. Bal Gosal lost in Brampton Centre to Liberal challenger Ramesh Sangha.

"The Liberal party has indicated they will maintain their support of high-performance sport in Canada," Merklinger said. "Their platform indicates they will. That's a public statement and an important one.

"What that looks like in terms of specifics, obviously no one knows."

Stability within Sport Canada

Where there is stability is in OTP's relationships with Sport Canada's senior bureaucrats, who don't change with a new government, she said.

"We feel confident in being able to present the necessary information for the new government to continue to support high-performance sport in Canada the way it has been, perhaps even more," Merklinger said.

There are Liberal MPs positioned to champion sport. Peter Fonseca, an Olympic marathoner for Canada in 1996, won Mississauga East-Cooksville. Former Paralympic swimmer Carla Qualtrough was elected in Delta, B.C.

But the Conservatives committed new money to athletes in their final budget. Whether that funding survives under the Liberals remains to be seen.

Canadians finishing fifth to eighth at Olympic Games and world championships are an indicator of the next generation of medal potential.

Canada has dropped in winter sport and flat-lined in summer sport in athletes in that category, so Merklinger is concerned about the country's ability to produce medals beyond 2016.

She called it "one of the best days of my career" when she flipped through the federal budget documents April 21 in Ottawa.

That budget provided up to $5 million a year for four years starting April 1, 2016, specifically for next-generation athletes. OTP has to match that figure to get the full amount which adds up to as much as $40 million for "Next Gen" athletes.

"It's massive," Merklinger said. "This is the first new money we've had since 2010 focused on excellence."​