An analysis of the Canadian federal policy on sport participation and its impact on national sport organizations

Abstract

The formal inclusion of participation in the new Canadian sport policy in 2002 marks a significant change in the Canadian sporting landscape, a change examined in this Masters thesis through a qualitative research methodology in the form of a questionnaire, interviews, and document analysis. The first section of the thesis seeks to gain a better understanding of what factors led the federal government to add participation to the new Canadian Sport Policy, and what the agendas were of the key stakeholders in the formation of the policy. Findings support Kingdon's Multiple Streams Theory but highlight the importance a single individual can have in driving the policy agenda. The second section examines the participation pillar's effect on NSOs related to new initiatives implemented and organizational structure and values linked to organizational archetypes. Six structure- and value-based barriers to change were found, throwing doubt on the ability of NSOs to deliver participation initiatives.