Canada. Fitness and Amateur Sport : On 1 October 1943, proclamation of the National Fitness Act established the National Council on Physical Fitness (NCPF), as well as the Physical Fitness Division within the Welfare Branch of the Department of National Health and Welfare (NHW). The Chairman of the NCPF also served as National Director of Physical Fitness. Under the terms of the Act, an annual fund of 50,000 was made available to eligible provinces through formal federal-provincial agreements for activities relating to the promotion of physical fitness within Canada. The Physical Fitness Division not only administered these funds, but also carried out other activities promoting fitness and physical education.
In an apparent dispute between the federal and provincial governments over the manner in which the funds were spent, and the difference between "sport" and "fitness," the National Fitness Act of 1943 was repealed on 15 June 1954. The National Council on Physical Fitness also ceased to function at this time. In order to allow the provinces to make the necessary adjustments to their budgets, however, the repeal of the Act contained provisions for the continuance of financial assistance until 1955 when all existing agreements expired.
New legislation dealing with fitness and sport appeared in September 1961. The Fitness and Amateur Sport Act was introduced at that time in response to the ebbing fitness level of Canadians, a decline in Canadian athletes' showing in international competition, and an accelerating need for health treatment for ailments directly and indirectly related to sedentariness. Proclaimed on 15 December 1961, the Act was administered by the newly-created Fitness and Amateur Sport (FAS) programme (formally called Fitness and Recreation Consultant Services) of NHW.
The FAS Act also created the National Advisory Council on Fitness and Amateur Sport, an advisory body comprised of 30 members appointed by the Governor General in Council, which meets twice a year to discuss the overall programme and to advise the Minister of National Health and Welfare on various aspects of this field. The Council has three independent committees, Fitness, Recreation, and Sport, which were created in 1974 to examine specific problem areas and advise the Minister of their findings.
The central aim of the FAS Act was to boost both participation and proficiency in competitive and non-competitive sports. Activities such as training courses for leaders, coaches, and other professional personnel at the community level was seen to be instrumental. Funding was given to research fitness and physical performance matters such as the different aspects of physical performance, effects of activities on different age groups, and the physical development resulting from different types of activities. The FAS programme carried out these activities until 1967, when it changed the nature of its activities from a primarily reactive nature (implementing proposals from outside the government and rarely initiating programmes of its own) to a more active role in Canadian society. Much of this activity was sparked by projects relating to Canada's Centennial celebrations.
On 7 May 1971, two new directorates (Sport Canada and Recreation Canada) were created within the FAS programme. Sport Canada was to concentrate its activities on competitive sport at the national and international level. It did this by contributing to the programmes of national sports governing bodies and related agencies, and by seeking to improve public understanding of sport in Canada. Recreation Canada was charged with increasing awareness of the importance of fitness and recreation in everyday life and to encourage greater participation of average Canadians in these areas. At the same time, the Minister of State for Fitness and Amateur Sport announced the creation of a Communications Corporation which would act as a 'sophisticated resource agency' and employ marketing techniques to sell the benefits of physical recreation to the Canadian public.
The Fitness and Amateur Sport programme was elevated to the status of a Branch under its own Assistant Deputy Minister in 1973, and transferred to the Health side of the department. In June 1976, Loto Canada was established as a crown corporation which reported to Parliament through the Minister of State for Fitness, and Amateur Sport. Revenues from Loto Canada assisted in the funding of the 1978 Commonwealth Games, and other Branch projects.
Recreation Canada was renamed Fitness and Recreation Canada in 1977, and two additional directorates (Programme Operations and Administration, and Planning, Research and Evaluation) were created. Recreation Canada carried out programmes for national sport and recreation organizations, natives, and disabled persons, encouraged healthy lifestyle through physical activity by providing consultative and coordinating services to encourage life style modification, and coordinated federal fitness activities with those of the provinces.
Two federal elections in rapid succession resulted in responsibility for Fitness and Amateur Sports shifting departments twice in one fiscal year. In June 1979, Fitness and Amateur Sport was transferred from NHW to Secretary of State, and in February 1980, the programme was transferred to Labour Canada. In the next two years, Fitness and Amateur Sport went again to Secretary of State, back to Labour Canada, and finally back to NHW.
In 1993, Fitness and Amateur Sport was comprised of Sport Canada, Fitness Canada, and International Relations and Major Games (charged with the responsibility to develop and implement a strategy and programme to expand Canadian participation at the international level and raise the profile of Canadian amateur athletes). With the reorganization of the federal government in June 1993, the post of Minister of State for Fitness and Amateur Sports was abolished, and the functions of the FAS programme were split between the newly-formed departments of Canadian Heritage (sport) and Health (fitness).
