With the FIFA World Cup just six weeks away, the federal government has unveiled new funding for sporting events and organizations across the country, outlined in Tuesday’s Spring Economic Update.

Ottawa has pledged a $755 million investment in athletics across the country, putting aside funding for athlete wellbeing, expanding infrastructure and improving access to sports.

The update provided a “generational investment in sport in our country,” Secretary of State for Sport Adam van Koeverden told iPolitics.

“It’s the largest investment we’ve ever made, not just as a government, but as a country,” he said.

“It’s a signal to the sports sector that they are an excellent nation building project.” 

The investment includes $50 million over the next five years to build and upgrade sports facilities across the country, in order to build the necessary infrastructure needed to host more tournaments in Canadian cities. 

“Sport contributes to our health and well being as well as the economy,” the Ottawa’s Spring Economic Statement reads. Sports in Canada support up to 100,000 jobs, the update reports. 

Additionally, the Liberals have announced a $145 million investment in security operations for FIFA Men’s World Cup games in Vancouver and Toronto in June. 

This week, the government has been under pressure to deliver on security for the tournament as a sanctioned Iranian official was allowed into the country before being turned away in Toronto, as the FIFA Congress convenes in Vancouver.

van Koeverden, a former Olympic gold medalist, is in Vancouver this week for the Congress. While in the city, van Koeverden will be meeting with athletes and leaders in the world of sport, to discuss the investments made in the update. 

The investments made in the Spring Economic Statement take a holistic approach to sport, according to van Koeverden. This includes investments in infrastructure, but also in the well-being of athletes. 

Last week, van Koeverden announced that the federal government will provide more than $6 million in funding for mental health services for professional athletes and coaches on the national level. 

“We’re investing from the playground to the podium” in a support system for athletes, he said, when asked by iPolitics during the announcement at the Terry Fox Athletic Facility in Ottawa. 

The funding for mental health supports at the highest level of Canadian sports is to ensure that “support infrastructure is available wherever athletes are training,” van Koeverden told iPolitics during an interview following the event.

The issue is personal for van Koeverden, who represented Canada in four Olympic Games.

Attitudes towards mental health in sports have changed, he said, adding that legislation should reflect this to provide support for athletes across the country. 

The funding for athlete mental health is part of a larger push to address health as being about more than just physical illness, but expanding the conversation to other areas, Maggie Chi, the parliamentary secretary to the minister of health said during the announcement.

“Health is more than just physical fitness,” Chi said, “health includes our physical, mental and social wellbeing at every stage of life.”

The announcement comes just months after the Canadian Olympic and Paralympic Committees lobbied the federal government for an increase in funding as the 2025 federal budget allotted no new funding for the organizations.

The Future of Sport in Canada Commission, which was established in 2023, issued its first report last month, issuing 98 calls to action to better safety and wellbeing in Canadian sports.

The report called for “trauma-informed” services for those suffering maltreatment in the context of sport. It also outlined the importance of physical activity and sports for mental health, culture and community building for Canadians. 

The report’s primary call to action was for government to financially support sport across the country. “The number recommendation that came out of the future of sport in Canada commission was to increase funding for sport, and that’s what we did this week,” van Koeverden told iPolitics.

The report also drew attention to systemic factors which are limiting access to sports for Canadians, including systemic racism, high costs, and 

Equity in sport is a key focus of the investment announced earlier this week, as the federal government seeks to “empower Canadians” through sport. 

The Inclusion in Canadian Sports Network, or the ICSN, is applauding the significant investment, writing in a statement on Wednesday that in the investment, “one of the key implications is an equity focus.” 

“Increased participation is only one part of the solution,” the news release reads. The ICSN is calling on further investment in creating structural change. 

Implementing this generational investment, and springing off of the progress it has made, is a collaborative effort, van Koeverden said. 

“We want all hands on deck here,” van Koeverden told iPolitics. “Whether it’s about hosting the World Cup in your community, or the Canada Games or choosing a destination for a Special Olympics festival.” 

“Canada’s an amazing sports hosting nation, and we’re going to continue to invest in ways that ensure that continues,” he said.