Statement by Minister Petitpas Taylor and Minister Duncan on the Tabling of the Report by the Subcommittee on Sports-Related Concussions

The Honourable Ginette Petitpas Taylor, Minister of Health, and the Honourable Kirsty Duncan, Minister of Science and Sport, issue a statement on the tabling of the concussions report by the Subcommittee on Sports-Related Concussions

OTTAWA, June 3, 2019 /CNW/ - Far too many athletes and young people experience concussions during sport and recreation activities. Our government takes this very seriously. That is why we funded the development of the new Canadian Guideline on Concussion in Sport and are working on a harmonized approach on concussion awareness, prevention, detection, management and surveillance.

We know there is more that can be done to prevent concussions in sport, and that is why we were grateful to the Subcommittee on Sports-Related Concussions for holding hearings on this matter and for tabling their report in the House of Commons earlier today.

The sports-related concussions hearings ran from November 2018 to May 2019 to address concerns from athletes, parents sport leaders and others across the country about the need for measures to keep athletes and children safe in sport. According to a recent Government of Canada study, concussions make up about 93 percent of sports- and recreation-related traumatic brain injuries among children and youth.

The committee heard from a cross-section of stakeholders, including grassroots, high-performance professional and amateur athletes, families, national sport organizations, multi-sport organizations, coaches, researchers and members of the medical community.

We would like to thank all members of the committee for their work on this important matter and extend a special thank you to Member of Parliament Peter Fonseca for chairing the committee.

We look forward to reviewing their recommendations and taking further action to help Canadians prevent and manage concussions.

Associated Links

Report from the Subcommittee on Sports-Related Concussions in Canada of the Standing Committee on Health

Subcommittee on Sports-Related Concussions in Canada of the Standing Committee on Health

Sport Canada 

SOURCE Canadian Heritage