Future of Sport in Canada Commission, Transforming Sport in Canada: Time for Action (2026) - Reflections

I’ve been sitting with the Future of Sport in Canada Commission final report, Transforming Sport in Canada: Time for Action (2026) and trying to figure out how I want to engage with it.

I’ve seen a lot of critique online—questions about whether it will actually lead to change, whether it’s too ambitious, whether it will just be another report that gets shelved.

And I understand that perspective.

But it’s not the one I’m sitting with.

I was in the room in September 2025. I was part of the consultation process; I made suggestions on how to improve post-secondary sport. I heard the stories from all levels, and I shared parts of my own.

So when I read this report, I’m not just reading recommendations.

I’m reading something that reflects what people actually experienced.

That matters.

Because behind every “gap” or “failure” named in this report, there was someone who had to say:

this happened to me

this wasn’t okay

And those stories weren’t handled carelessly.

The Commission was thoughtful. They were meticulous. They took what people shared seriously.

That’s what stands out to me.

There were parts of this report where I recognized my own experience.

Seeing it documented and named like this made something I’ve been working through for a long time feel more real.

It’s easy to critique something like this from the outside.

But this report exists because people were willing to revisit and share experiences that weren’t easy to name, in the hope that things could be better for those coming after them.

This report communicates something important—not just to policymakers, but to the people who were part of that process:

what you experienced was real

and it was not okay

That alone makes this report meaningful.

Now, the question is what happens next.

Because the responsibility doesn’t sit with the people who came forward.

It sits with the government and the broader sport system to respond.

Not dismissively. Not defensively.

But with the understanding that this report is not based on isolated experiences—it is evidence of a broader pattern.

And no matter how many people had positive experiences in sport, that does not erase the experiences of those who did not.

You don’t always know someone else’s story.

And sometimes, without realizing it, you may have been part of a system that caused harm.

That’s part of what makes this report difficult—but also necessary.

For me, reading it wasn’t discouraging.

It gave me a sense of clarity.

And, honestly, a sense of hope.

Because for the first time at this level, what so many people have experienced is being named, documented, and taken seriously.

What happens next matters.