Program directory · Canadian Heritage
Sport Development and High Performance
- Department
- Canadian Heritage
- Program code
- BSF01 (CH)
- Core responsibility
- Sport
- In Departmental Plans
- 2018-19 – 2026-27 · New since an earlier plan
What it does
This program promotes and enhances Canadian participation in sport by supporting a spectrum of opportunities from initial introduction to sport through to the highest level of performance. Support is provided in the form of funding, through transfer payment programs, and policy leadership. The program seeks to strengthen and support a safe and welcoming sport system for all Canadians including athletes, coaches, officials and leaders, and sport organizations, through its funding and collaboration with stakeholders. The program supports access to quality sport programs and services for Canadians of diverse backgrounds, ages and abilities. The program provides direct support to Canadian athletes to foster the development of high-performance athletes capable of competing on the world stage. The program also works directly with organizations hosting the Canada Games and international sport events in Canada.
Source: the department's Program Inventory, via GC InfoBase.
History and lineage
First appears in GC InfoBase's actual spending by program in 2018-19. The data does not record when a program was created; it may be older than its first appearance here, which is limited by the sources (program spending starts in 2010-11, Departmental Plans in 2018-19).
| Program | Relation | Years with data | Actual spending over those years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sport Development and High Performance | This program | 2018-19 – 2028-29 | $2.02B |
No earlier or later program in the same department has a similar name.
Significant changes in scope and budget
Detected from the data: renames between plans, programs it appears to replace, merge with or split into (matched by name), year-over-year changes in spending of at least 25% and $5M, or in employees of at least 20% and 25 FTEs, linked budget measures, and results indicators added or dropped.
| Year | What changed | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 2020-21 | Spending $321M, against $243M in 2019-20 (+32%). | Actual spending (GC InfoBase) |
| 2022-23 | Indicators added: Ranking of Canada relative to other countries in Olympic Ranking Index disaggregated for summer and winter sport.; Ranking of Canada relative to other countries in Paralympic Ranking Index disaggregated for summer and winter sport. | Departmental Results Framework (GC InfoBase) |
| 2022-23 | Indicators dropped: Ranking of Canada relative to other countries in Combined Ranking Index for Olympic Sport.; Ranking of Canada relative to other countries in Combined Ranking Index for Paralympic Sport. | Departmental Results Framework (GC InfoBase) |
| 2023 | Budget 2023 measure “A Safe and Accountable Sport System”: $13M in total over its years (linked to this program by name, a best-effort match). | Budget 2023, PDF page 166 |
| 2023-24 | Indicators added: Canada Paralympic Ranking Index for winter sport.; Canada’s Olympic Ranking Index for summer sport.; Canada’s Olympic Ranking Index for winter sports; Canada’s Paralympic Ranking Index for summer sport. | Departmental Results Framework (GC InfoBase) |
| 2023-24 | Indicators dropped: Ranking of Canada relative to other countries in Olympic Ranking Index disaggregated for summer and winter sport.; Ranking of Canada relative to other countries in Paralympic Ranking Index disaggregated for summer and winter sport. | Departmental Results Framework (GC InfoBase) |
| 2024-25 | Employees (FTEs) 136, against 110 in 2023-24 (+24%). | FTEs (GC InfoBase) |
| 2025 | Budget 2025 measure “Supporting Canada's Independent Safe Sport Program”: $4M in total over its years (linked to this program by name, a best-effort match). | Budget 2025, PDF page 282 |
| 2026-27 | Indicators added: Canada’s Global Competition Ranking Index for Olympic summer sport.; Canada’s Global Competition Ranking Index for Olympic winter sports; Canada’s Global Competition Ranking Index for Paralympic summer sport.; Canada's Global Competition Ranking Index for Paralympic winter sport.; Gross domestic product (GDP) of the Canadian sport sector; Number of Canadian children and youth participating in a sport activity. | Departmental Results Framework (GC InfoBase) |
| 2026-27 | Indicators dropped: Canada Paralympic Ranking Index for winter sport.; Canada’s Olympic Ranking Index for summer sport.; Canada’s Olympic Ranking Index for winter sports; Canada’s Paralympic Ranking Index for summer sport.; Number of Canadian children and youth enrolled in a sport activity. | Departmental Results Framework (GC InfoBase) |
Success criteria
The program's indicators from its department's Departmental Results Framework: the target set in each year's plan, and the result reported the following year. Source: GC InfoBase.
Historical: targets against results
Number of Canadian athletes, coaches and officials participating at funded events.
Expected result: The Department supports Canadians from their first experience in sport to their highest level of achievement.
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 | ≥ 6,000 | 2019 | 7,893 The target is 8400 annually. This target is meant as an average and the actual figure is expected to be higher or lower depending on the number of events which are hosted in a year. For example, Year 2017-2018 saw a higher participation rate due to the hosting of Arctic Winter Games which is not an annual event. | Met |
| 2019-20 | ≥ 5,231 | 2020 | 4,879 Participation numbers are lower than the previous year as there were no Canada Games or International Major Multisport Games in 2019. The Arctic Winter Games (scheduled for March 2020), were postponed to 2021, due to the pandemic. Anticipated participation at the Arctic Winter Games was nearly 2,000 athletes, coaches, mission staff, officials and cultural performers. | Not met |
| 2020-21 | ≥ 8,400 | 2021 | — This data was not yet available at the time of publication | No result reported |
| 2021-22 | ≥ 8,400 | 2021 | 935 Due to the pandemic, there were few International Single Sport Events (ISSE) funded by Sport Canada in 2021-22. The ISSE program component reports the following results: Number of Canadian athletes (able-bodied): 663; Number of Canadian athletes (athletes with disabilities): 9; Number of Canadian coaches: 101; Number of Canadian officials: 162 No data was reported for Canada Games and Commonwealt… | Not met |
| 2022-23 | ≥ 8,000 | 2022 | 13,267 | Met |
| 2023-24 | ≥ 8,000 | 2023 | 2,072 The target was not met due to the low percentage of final reports received at the time of tabling this report. | Not met |
| 2024-25 | ≥ 9,000 | 2025 | 674 The result is lower than expected since no Canada Games were held in 2024-2025, and not all reports from events were received at the time this Departmental Results Report was tabled. | Not met |
Percentage of athletes receiving Athlete Assistance Program funding who achieve a top 8 finish at the Olympics, Paralympics, or World Championships.
Expected result: The Department supports Canadians from their first experience in sport to their highest level of achievement.
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 | ≥ 325% | 2019 | 288% The Athlete Assistance Program (AAP) supports high performance athletes (both developing and senior athletes at the peak of their career) who have been identified as capable of achieving world class results. The target is 320 athletes annually, to be achieved by June 2021. Based on the determined target threshold for this indicator, a figure lower than 305 is categorised as "requiring attention"… | Not met |
| 2019-20 | ≥ 320% | 2020 | 233% There were no Olympic or Paralympic Games in 2019. During the 2019 World Championships, 233 athletes receiving Athlete assistance Programme funding achieved a combined total of 322 top 8 finishes. | Not met |
| 2020-21 | ≥ 320% | 2021 | 66% The 2020 Olympic and Paralymic Games were postponed to July and August 2021, respectively due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The World Championship for Winter Sports (Winter 2021) accounted for some of the only major international competitions that took place and involved the partcipation of AAP carded athletes. This accounted for the low number of top 8 finishes. | Not met |
| 2021-22 | ≥ 320% | 2021 | 456% | Met |
| 2022-23 | ≥ 350% | 2022 | 598% | Met |
| 2023-24 | ≥ 360% | 2023 | 455% | Met |
| 2024-25 | ≥ 500% | 2025 | 552% | Met |
Canada Paralympic Ranking Index for winter sport.
Expected result: The Department supports Canadians from their first experience in sport to their highest level of achievement in a manner which facilitates retention and progression.
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-24 | ≤ 6 | 2024 | 6 | Met |
Canada’s Olympic Ranking Index for summer sport.
Expected result: The Department supports Canadians from their first experience in sport to their highest level of achievement in a manner which facilitates retention and progression.
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-24 | ≤ 15 | 2024 | 11 | Met |
| 2024-25 | ≤ 11 | 2024 | 10 | Met |
Canada’s Olympic Ranking Index for winter sports
Expected result: The Department supports Canadians from their first experience in sport to their highest level of achievement in a manner which facilitates retention and progression.
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-24 | ≤ 3 | 2024 | 4 This result is based on athletic performances at the highest levels of international competition. A variance between the result and the target is sometimes inevitable. The variance observed here is within acceptable parameters. | Not met |
Canada’s Paralympic Ranking Index for summer sport.
Expected result: The Department supports Canadians from their first experience in sport to their highest level of achievement in a manner which facilitates retention and progression.
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-24 | ≤ 14 | 2024 | 13 | Met |
| 2024-25 | ≤ 19 | 2024 | 13 | Met |
Number of Canadian children and youth enrolled in a sport activity.
Expected result: The Department supports Canadians from their first experience in sport to their highest level of achievement in a manner which facilitates retention and progression.
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-20 | ≥ 4,000,000 | 2020 | 4,594,540 The latest available data is from the 2016 Census. | Met |
| 2020-21 | ≥ 5,000,000 | 2021 | — The data collected responds to a parent/proxy survey that asks about "participation" and not "enrollment" in sport and therefore does not match this indicator exactly. There is no survey that refers to number of children and youth “enrolled" as this would require a specific census that would give a number count of children and youth that are enrolled in sport programming. The Canadian Fitness and… | No result reported |
| 2021-22 | ≥ 5,000,000 | 2021 | 3,652,198 Canadian Fitness and Lifestyle Research Institute (CFLRI) conducted a panel survey of parents of children and youth aged 5 to 17 in March 2022. The result from the survey uses a multiplier limited to Canadians aged 5 to 17 and does not include the data from the North. Children (age 5-17) sport participation (during the data collection period within the COVID-19 pandemic, past 12 months) – 68%, di… | Not met |
| 2022-23 | ≥ 4,000,000 | 2022 | — Data for this indicator comes from research efforts with a third party. As a result of challenges in advancing research projects Canadian Heritage was unable to collect the data for 2022-23. | No result reported |
| 2023-24 | ≥ 4,000,000 | 2024 | — Data for this indicator comes from research efforts with a third party. The data is not available at time of publication of this report. Updated preliminary data is expected in November 2024. | No result reported |
| 2024-25 | ≥ 4,500,000 | 2025 | 3,883,435 Results for this indicator can be influenced by several factors (e.g. costs, scheduling conflicts, safety concerns, etc.). Further, returning to previous levels of participation has proven to be slower than expected. These factors can explain why the target was not met. | Not met |
Ranking of Canada relative to other countries in Olympic Ranking Index disaggregated for summer and winter sport.
Expected result: The Department supports Canadians from their first experience in sport to their highest level of achievement in a manner which facilitates retention and progression.
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-23 | ≤ 7 | 2022 | 11 Target was not achieved due to COVID-19 pandemic impacts on athlete performance during that time frame. It should be noted that the goal of a 7th place ranking was nearly achieved, even with the challenges of COVID-19; however, there were only 25 ranking points separating Canada’s 11th place ranking versus the goal of 7th place. In contrast, there was a difference of 88 ranking points between the… | Not met |
Ranking of Canada relative to other countries in Paralympic Ranking Index disaggregated for summer and winter sport.
Expected result: The Department supports Canadians from their first experience in sport to their highest level of achievement in a manner which facilitates retention and progression.
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-23 | ≤ 13 | 2022 | 12 | Met |
Ranking of Canada relative to other countries in Combined Ranking Index for Olympic Sport.
Expected result: The Department supports Canadians from their first experience in sport to their highest level of achievement in a manner which facilitates retention and progression.
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 | ≤ 7 | 2019 | 9 All 2018-19 results are a carry-over from the previous year 2017-18, as the new data will not be available until 2020. | Not met |
| 2019-20 | ≤ 7 | 2020 | 9 Canada has ranked 9th for the last three consecutive years since this is the result over a combined 4 year period. Countries are ranked by total of medal points accumulated over a four year period in summer and winter Olympic sports. It is expected that the 2019 Canadian High Performance Strategy could improve Canada’s Olympic and Paralympic ranking in future Olympics. | Not met |
| 2020-21 | ≤ 7 | 2021 | 9 The 2020 Olympic Games were postponed to July 2021, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The World Championship for Winter Sports (Winter 2021) accounted for some of the only major international competitions that took place during the year under review and included the participation of Athlete Assistance Program carded athletes. As a result, there were too few medalling opportunities to impact Canada’s… | Not met |
| 2021-22 | ≤ 7 | 2021 | 9 There was an insufficient number of Senior world championships in 2021 to change the ranking due to the postponement of the Tokyo 2020 Games. Targets for this indicator will reflect a disaggregated approach in next year’s exercise as Sport Canada plans to use two separate indicators and targets for summer and winter Olympics in the Departmental Plan 2023-24. | Not met |
Ranking of Canada relative to other countries in Combined Ranking Index for Paralympic Sport.
Expected result: The Department supports Canadians from their first experience in sport to their highest level of achievement in a manner which facilitates retention and progression.
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 | — | 2019 | 13 All 2018-19 results are a carry-over from the previous year 2017-18, as the new data will not be available until 2020. | No result reported |
| 2019-20 | ≤ 12 | 2020 | 10 Canada’s rank jumped from 13 in 2018-2019 to 10 in 2019-2020 because there was a shift in the general medal count of the 2016 Paralympics, due to the disqualification of Russian athletes, following the doping scandal of 2018. | Met |
| 2020-21 | ≤ 12 | 2021 | 10 | Met |
| 2021-22 | ≤ 12 | 2021 | 10 | Met |
Current: the 2026-27 plan's targets
Canada’s Global Competition Ranking Index for Olympic summer sport.
Expected result: The Department supports Canadians from their first experience in sport to their highest level of achievement.
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-27 | ≤ 11 | 2027 | — | Planned |
Canada’s Global Competition Ranking Index for Olympic winter sports
Expected result: The Department supports Canadians from their first experience in sport to their highest level of achievement.
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-27 | ≤ 5 | 2027 | — | Planned |
Canada’s Global Competition Ranking Index for Paralympic summer sport.
Expected result: The Department supports Canadians from their first experience in sport to their highest level of achievement.
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-27 | ≤ 11 | 2027 | — | Planned |
Canada's Global Competition Ranking Index for Paralympic winter sport.
Expected result: The Department supports Canadians from their first experience in sport to their highest level of achievement.
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-27 | ≤ 5 | 2027 | — | Planned |
Gross domestic product (GDP) of the Canadian sport sector
Expected result: The Canadian Sport Sector contributes to economic growth.
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-27 | ≥ $8.5B | 2027 | — | Planned |
Number of Canadian athletes, coaches and officials participating at funded events.
Expected result: The Department supports Canadians from their first experience in sport to their highest level of achievement.
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-27 | ≥ 1,000 | 2027 | — | Planned |
Percentage of athletes receiving Athlete Assistance Program funding who achieve a top 8 finish at the Olympics, Paralympics, or World Championships.
Expected result: The Department supports Canadians from their first experience in sport to their highest level of achievement.
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-27 | ≥ 17% | 2027 | — | Planned |
Future goals: targets due after 2026-27
Number of Canadian children and youth participating in a sport activity.
Expected result: The Department supports Canadians from their first experience in sport to their highest level of achievement.
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-27 | ≥ 4,000,000 | 2028 | — | Planned |
Spending and employees: planned against actual
Spending
Show the numbers
| Fiscal year | Planned | Actual |
|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 | $216M | $228M |
| 2019-20 | $231M | $243M |
| 2020-21 | $250M | $321M |
| 2021-22 | $248M | $286M |
| 2022-23 | $327M | $337M |
| 2023-24 | $264M | $283M |
| 2024-25 | $254M | $323M |
| 2025-26 | $323M | — |
| 2026-27 | $312M | — |
| 2027-28 | $238M* | — |
| 2028-29 | $235M* | — |
Employees (FTEs)
Show the numbers
| Fiscal year | Planned | Actual |
|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 | 105 | 105 |
| 2019-20 | 122 | 104 |
| 2020-21 | 104 | 96 |
| 2021-22 | 97 | 101 |
| 2022-23 | 106 | 109 |
| 2023-24 | 103 | 110 |
| 2024-25 | 148 | 136 |
| 2025-26 | 136 | — |
| 2026-27 | 119 | — |
| 2027-28 | 115* | — |
| 2028-29 | 110* | — |
Planned spending, plan by plan
Each row is one year's Departmental Plan and its forecast for the next three fiscal years; read a column down to see how the forecast for one year changed. The last row is what was actually spent. Click an amount for its source. Biggest changes in federal spending plans
| Plan | 2018-19 | 2019-20 | 2020-21 | 2021-22 | 2022-23 | 2023-24 | 2024-25 | 2025-26 | 2026-27 | 2027-28 | 2028-29 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 plan | $215,874,018 | $216,369,928 | $218,409,629 | ||||||||
| 2019-20 plan | $231,116,623 | $232,344,861 | $230,017,363 | ||||||||
| 2020-21 plan | $249,554,510 | $245,610,649 | $230,139,399 | ||||||||
| 2021-22 plan | $248,100,659 | $230,507,513 | $231,436,475 | ||||||||
| 2022-23 plan | $327,068,407 | $234,651,201 | $230,127,252 | ||||||||
| 2023-24 plan | $264,497,322 | $237,180,444 | $233,447,336 | ||||||||
| 2024-25 plan | $253,589,681 | $236,053,759 | $232,394,799 | ||||||||
| 2025-26 plan | $322,938,029 | $355,569,857 | $239,069,857 | ||||||||
| 2026-27 plan | $311,588,996 | $238,071,028 | $234,506,116 | ||||||||
| Actual | $228,061,687 | $243,114,183 | $321,270,921 | $285,863,287 | $336,607,653 | $282,740,470 | $322,663,690 |
Actual spending is from Departmental Results Reports and the Public Accounts, as published in GC InfoBase. FTEs are full-time equivalents.
