Canadian Sport Governance Code

Attachment 459Attachment 459

I attended a Zoom call today with the Canadian Olympic Committee on the topic of their proposed Canadian Sport Governance Code for National Sports Organizations. Attached is a pdf of the presentation. It will be difficult for the CFC to meet all of these requirements though in some cases we should aspire to fulfill some of the suggested targets. The requirements for structuring the corporate board are similar to the original recommendations of the first NFP Act committee which was rejected by the CFC governors back in 2013 or so (Eight years ago!). The meeting was scheduled for 90 minutes. I was the only participant who asked more than one question or made more than one comment.

From the presentation:

WHAT IS GOVERNANCE? | QU’EST-CE QUE LA GOUVERNANCE?
Governance in its broadest interpretation refers to how an organization is run, including the various processes, systems, and controls that are employed. But in a more practical sense, it is really about a governance team, or Board, being able to strategically direct and lead an organization. This includes being able to make key decisions regarding priorities and roles, to define expectations and delegate authority, and to adhere to legal requirements. It is not about managing programs or people, nor about operational details. Ultimately the application of good governance serves to realize organizational goals.

Dans son interprétation la plus large, la gouvernance désigne comment une organisation est dirigée, notamment dans l’utilisation des divers processus, systèmes et contrôles. D’un point de vue plus pratique, la définition est plutôt axée sur une équipe de gouvernance, ou un conseil qui est en mesure de diriger stratégiquement une organisation. Cela comprend la capacité de prendre des décisions clés sur les priorités et les rôles, de définir les attentes et de déléguer l’autorité, puis d’adhérer aux exigences juridiques. Ce n’est pas un rôle de gestion de programmes ou de personnes ni à propos des détails opérationnels. Ultimement, la mise en œuvre de la bonne gouvernance sert à réaliser les objectifs organisationnels.

WHAT IS GOVERNANCE? | QU’EST-CE QUE LA GOUVERNANCE? Good governance is also about achieving desired results in a manner consistent with organizational values and accepted social norms. This is particularly true in the world of sport where our product is people – in particular, our athletes. Sport governance must meld the passion and dedication of volunteers into a focused governance team, operating with integrity and striving to enhance the experiences of the participants, and the performance and reputation of the sport. ¹

La bonne gouvernance est aussi à propos de l’atteinte de résultats désirés en cohérence avec les valeurs organisationnelles et les normes acceptables dans la société. Cela est particulièrement vrai dans le monde du sport où notre produit est nos gens – particulièrement nos athlètes. La gouvernance du sport doit combiner la passion et le dévouement des bénévoles au sein d’une équipe de gouvernance dédiée, fonctionnant avec intégrité et s’efforçant d'améliorer l’expérience des participants, ainsi que la performance et la réputation du sport. ¹

The FQE must comply with the Quebec Governance Code or looses its Government support.

In Quebec, the Governance code has three tiers depending on the amount received from the Government and the Federation budget.

It is likely that we will have to comply in order to remain member of the COC. Both the Quebec and Canadian Governance Codes do not want the VM to do anything other then the bare minimum required to comply with the Law.

I did not get the sense that they were going to force organizations to comply in a hurry, particularly in cases where there is only one person working in the office as is the case with the CFC and others. The suggestions are not finalized and there would be a transition period. They are looking at December 31st, 2022 as a target date. They still have to take into consideration the feedback from the zoom call.

Their vision is that we have a CEO who runs the organization along with a CFO who takes care of financials, and the role of the board is to oversee these full time employees. We do not have the budget to pay a CEO or CFO. The restructuring of the CFC that would be required would require us to match the structure the original CFC NFP Act Committee proposed. This proposal was roundly rejected by the voting members.

Organizations which receive funding from the COC would certainly feel more pressure to comply.

Some of the requirements are driven by IOC targets. We need to add at least one more woman to the board to reach the IOC mandated targets or two women if we were to simply add to the board.