Bill C-12 · 37th Parliament · Jean Chrétien
Physical Activity and Sport Act
An Act to promote physical activity and sport
Government bill. Became law.
- IntroducedOct. 9, 2002
- Debated in principleOct. 9, 2002
- Studied by a committeeDone
- Passed its first chamberOct. 9, 2002
- Passed the second chamberFeb. 3, 2003
- Became lawMarch 19, 2003
Leading supporters
Ranked by the part each played: who is responsible for the bill, who carried it, and who spoke for it most.
- Jean ChrétienPrime Minister
Who carries this bill
Arrows run from the person responsible to those who answer to them on this bill. The critic leads the Senate’s scrutiny and answers to no one on it.
Where members stand
Votes and debate for this bill have not been read yet.
How it changed on the way
The texts have not been compared yet.
How precisely it is written
vagueChallenging the law: EasyDisputing a charge: Hard
The Act relies heavily on subjective ministerial judgment and undefined standards rather than fixed rules or objective criteria. This leaves wide room for argument over what actions are permitted or required.
Open to argument
“is satisfied that the Centre is not fulfilling its mission or is no longer necessary”
Satisfaction is an internal state of mind with no listed factual triggers or review criteria.“require the Centre to implement and maintain appropriate internal control pro”
Appropriate is undefined and invites prolonged debate over what counts as sufficient.“exercise the care, diligence and skill that a reasonably prudent person would exercise in comparable circumstances”
Reasonable prudence is a classic vague standard that depends on context-specific judgment.
Clear-cut
“A director may be appointed to not more than two consecutive terms”
Clear numerical limit with no discretion.
Discretion. Almost every operative power is granted to the Minister or the Centre on the basis of what they consider necessary, appropriate or in their opinion, with no further statutory limits or mandatory regulations.
Challenging the law itself. Broad phrases such as 'considers appropriate' and 'is satisfied' are classic targets for vagueness and overbreadth arguments under section 7 of the Charter.
Disputing a charge under it. The Act creates no direct offences against individuals; disputes would centre on the scope of ministerial or Centre powers rather than whether a person breached a concrete rule.
Read by a language model from the royal assent text; every quoted phrase appears in the bill. A reading of the drafting, not legal advice.
Did it work?
partly effective
The Physical Activity and Sport Act established Sport Canada programs that have effectively supported high-performance sport excellence and medal achievements but shown gaps in promoting broad sport participation and physical activity at the grassroots level. Departmental evaluations note limited funding allocation to community participation and persistent low rates of Canadians meeting activity guidelines.
- Grouped Evaluation of Sport Canada Programs 2015-16 to 2019-20evaluationSport Canada programming is designed appropriately for high-performance objectives of the Act but has gaps in supporting sport participation, with only about 7% of Sport Support Program funding directed to grassroots levels.
- Sport Canada Programs and Canadian Sport Policy (Library of Parliament Background Paper)reviewInitiatives under the Act have led to positive outcomes for excellence in sport via targeted programs like Own the Podium but less success on the participation pillar, with low percentages of Canadians meeting national physical activity guidelines.
Who lobbied on it
No lobbying registration naming this bill is loaded.
Stages and dates from LEGISinfo.