INTRODUCTION Reconciliation is impossible without recognition and reparation. In 1991, the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples (RCAP) began to examine the relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous populations in an effort to stimulate the reconciliation process. The Commission’s findings on sports and recreation were particularly trained on Indigenous youth, and indeed the present document also pays specific attention to this demographic. With regard to sports and recreation, “young people appearing before the Commission emphasized the need for sports and recreation opportunities” (Canada, 1996, p. 161). The Commission noted that it refers “to sports and recreation in the broadest sense, including physical activity, leadership training, coaching, recreation program training, participation in cultural activities, and dramatic and musical pursuits” (Canada, 1996, p. 161). This seminal report led to a number of initiatives, including the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) of Canada, which was established in 2008 to “oversee a process to provide former students and anyone who has been affected by the 7
Indian Residential Schools legacy, with an opportunity to share their individual experiences in a safe and culturally appropriate manner” (TRC, n.d., para. 2). Comprising part of its final report in 2015 were 94 Calls to Action (CTA) in which the Commission made specific demands of the federal, provincial, and territorial governments. Five of these (CTA 87–91) focus on sports and reconciliation. CTA 87 is centred on public education, calling for representation of Indigenous athletes in Canada’s story of national sport. CTA 88 is focused on ensuring the long-term development and growth of Indigenous athletes and ongoing support for the North American Indigenous Games (NAIG). CTA 89 is about inclusivity of Indigenous Peoples in policies that promote physical activity. It focuses on reducing barriers to sports participation, increasing pursuit of excellence in sports, and building capacity in the Canadian sports system. CTA 90 also aims attention at inclusivity of Indigenous Peoples, with specific reference to the following: 1) funding for and accessibility to community sports programs that reflect Indigenous Peoples’ diverse cultures and traditional sporting activities; 2) an elite athlete development
program for Indigenous athletes; 3) culturally relevant training for coaches, trainers, and sports officials; and 4) anti-racism awareness training. Finally, CTA 91 concentrates on collaboration with Indigenous communities on international sporting events and respect for Indigenous Peoples’ territorial protocols. The Assembly of First Nations (AFN) recently reported that “significant progress” has been made in the Calls to Action regarding Sports and Reconciliation (AFN, 2020, p. 3), though it was more critical of progress made in other areas (e.g., education, justice, church apologies). In particular, the Government of Canada’s Budget 2017 proposed the establishment of “stable, ongoing funding” (Government of Canada, 2017, p. 168) for NAIG. However, some Indigenous organizations, such as the Yellowhead Institute, have fiercely criticized the federal government for its failure to respond appropriately to these calls to action (Jewell & Mosby, 2020). In 2016—a year after the release of the TRC—the federal government, under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, officially adopted the United
Indigenous sports and recreation programs and partnerships across Canada: A literature review and environmental scan in Canada
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