Government of Canada joins the Centre for Sport and Human Rights

14 Nov 2024

Author - Centre for Sport and Human Rights

The Centre for Sport and Human Rights (CSHR) is proud to announce that the Government of Canada has joined CSHR’s Advisory Council, a multistakeholder forum for collaborating, sharing information, and exchanging good practices in advancing responsible sport.

The Canadian Government joins other governments in the Advisory Council including: Austria, Germany, Mexico, Slovenia, Switzerland, Netherlands, UK, and the USA.

Canada has a long history of protecting human rights in its Constitution and by federal, provincial and territorial legislation. Canada is also a signatory to the 2020 Commonwealth Consensus Statement on Promoting Human Rights in and through Sport.

Canada will host the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup as part of a tri-lateral partnership with Mexico and the United States who are already members of the Advisory Council.

Through the Advisory Council, CSHR brings together an unprecedented alliance of intergovernmental organisations, governments, sports bodies, athletes, hosts, sponsors, broadcasters, civil society representatives, trade unions and employers. These organisations have come together united in the understanding that there is a generation of work to be done to fully align the world of sport with the fundamental principles of human dignity, human rights, and labour rights. All participants in the Advisory Council endorse and commit to promoting the Sporting Chance Principles.

The Honourable Carla Qualtrough, Minister of Sport and Physical Activity, Government of Canada said: "The Government of Canada is pleased to join the Centre for Sport and Human Rights’ Advisory Council. As a member of this Advisory Council, we look forward to sharing best practices and collaborating with international partners to continue advancing safe sport in Canada and around the world. This is yet another incredible milestone in Canada’s leadership of promoting human rights through sport."

Mary Harvey, CSHR CEO said: "We are extremely pleased to welcome Canada into the Advisory Council of the Centre. The number of governments involved in our work and engagement with the sports and human rights agenda continues to grow. States play a central role in sports policy and in overseeing that actors in the sport ecosystem live up to their human rights responsibilities while having duties and responsibilities themselves to protect, respect and promote human rights. We look forward to working closely with colleagues across the Canadian government to advance human rights in sports in Canada and beyond."

For more information on becoming a member of CSHR, please contact [email protected].

About the Government of Canada

The Government of Canada, through Sport Canada, is the single largest investor in Canada's amateur sport system, providing funding for initiatives to support Canadian high-performance athletes and to promote sport participation among all Canadians, from playground to podium.

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About the Centre for Sport and Human Rights

Launched in June 2018, CSHR works towards a world of sport that fully respects human rights by sharing knowledge, building capacity, and strengthening the accountability of all actors in the sport ecosystem through collective action. The Centre’s First Patron is Mary Robinson, former President of Ireland and former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.