New Democratic Party
Dissenting Opinion

By: John Solomon, M.P.
Regina-Lumsden-Lake Centre

The report of the Sub-Committee on the Study of Sport in Canada is a comprehensive analysis of sport in our country. It reflects the hope, fun and strengths that sports provide to Canadians. It also underscores how important sport at all levels is to building a sense of community and pride in our country. It is an accurate reflection of the significance of sport in Canada.

The recommendations pertaining to the advancement of amateur sport are basically approaches the New Democratic Party endorses. Indeed, we support most recommendations in the report. However, the recommendations pertaining to tax expenditures for professional sport are not supportable under current circumstances.

Professional sports are important to individual athletes, families and communities. Teams like the Toronto Blue Jays, the Saskatchewan Roughriders or the Montreal Canadians provide entertainment to millions of Canadians. Canadians believe their particular favourite team is worthy of support, as do the New Democratic Party Caucus Members.

It is our view that some professional sports cannot be strengthened or even maintained with some tax supports in isolation. It is our view that professional leagues like the NHL must first review and consider pooling (or revenue sharing) more of their revenues as a league, like the CFL and the NFL do, in order to support teams that have smaller markets, or other financial challenges. It is also difficult to accept that the tax breaks be given to professional sports teams, who pay their athletes over a million dollars a year on average (NHL players for example), when our Healthcare, education and Canada's Social Safety Net is under-funded and when western farmers' net farm income averages around $3,500, the same levels during the Great Depression of the 1930s.

Our Sub-Committee has not adequately explored the implications of tax expenditure recommendations. Nor have the professional sports franchises, their owners and players agreed on what they should be doing collectively to re-invest in amateur sport and Canadian communities to deserve additional tax consideration. Until these decisions are made by the professional sports teams, tax considerations should be put on hold.