Recommendation 14 of the report, Taxing to Prosper: Canada’s System of Taxes, Fees and other Charges, encourages the federal government to spend $30 million annually over the next five years on the Road to Excellence Program. The Road to Excellence is a program aimed at helping Canada’s Olympic and Paralympic summer athletes achieve international success.
Specifically, the Road to Excellence targets a top five place for Canada at the 2012 Paralympic Games and a top 12 finish at the 2012 Olympic Games.
“We hope this recommendation is an indication that the government in the next federal budget will set aside money for this program, which is drastically needed to ensure our amateur athletes can reach their potential at the Paralympic and Olympic Games,” said CPC President Carla Qualtrough. “With the growth worldwide of the Paralympic Movement and competition intensifying, this program will help our Paralympic athletes train more and better and contribute to our sporting success.”
Road to Excellence executive director Alex Baumann, a double Olympic gold medallist, in a presentation in December urged the Standing Committee on Finance to recommend $30 million a year for the program – an amount that is equivalent to about $1 per Canadian.
The Canadian Paralympic Committee, the Canadian Olympic Committee, other sport representatives and athletes will be meeting with Parliamentarians on February 14 to provide details about the Road to Excellence program.
