Federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty in his third budget on February 26 approved $24 million over two years and $24 million per year ongoing to support athletes for the Summer Olympics, falling short of the $30 million annually the CPC was requesting over the next five years for the Road to Excellence Program.
“This is a significant step in the right direction towards ensuring Canada’s Paralympic summer athletes have the support to achieve success, be role models for Canadians with disabilities, and help change the minds of all Canadians of how they perceive disabilities”, said CPC Chef Operating Officer, Brian MacPherson.
“CPC looks forward to continue working with the federal government towards securing all the support requested by the Road to Excellence program so Canada remains in the top 5 countries at the Paralympic Summer Games”, added MacPherson.
The Road to Excellence Program is aimed at helping Canada’s Olympic and Paralympic summer athletes achieve international success. Specifically the goal is to help Canada achieve a top five placing in the medal standing by nation at the 2012 Paralympic Games and a top 12 finish at the 2012 Olympic Games.
“The money for the Road to Excellence program is necessary to ensure our amateur athletes can reach their full potential at upcoming summer Paralympic and Olympic Games,” noted CPC President Carla Qualtrough. “This financial support will be used to hire more full-time coaches and additional members of performance enhancement teams, provide more opportunities for our athletes to compete and do more research to ensure they have optimum training conditions in the lead-up to the Games.”
In February, the Standing Committee on Finance recommended the Road to Excellence money – an amount that is equivalent to about $1 per Canadian – be included in the budget.
