CHAPTER 4 THE PUBLIC SECTOR

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CHAPTER 4THE PUBLIC SECTOR

• Government in Canada
• Canada is a federal state with its self-governing
  provinces and territories controlled by a central
  government. A federal state by definition is one
  that brings together a number of different
  political communities with a common government
  for common purposes and separate state or
  provincial or cantonal governments for the
  particular purposes of each community (Forsey,
  1982 7). This means that we cannot work, or
  eat, or drink we cannot buy or sell or own
  anything we cannot go to a ball game or a hockey
  game or watch TV without feeling the effects of
  government (ibid., p. 1).

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CHAPTER 4THE PUBLIC SECTOR

• Democracy, Leisure and Recreation
• By being a representative democracy and a
  constitutional monarchy, the political model of
  Canada represents a system in which people do in
  fact have a chance to be heard and, at the very
  least, an opportunity to influence
  decision-makers. The people of Canada may choose
  to vote and be represented by someone who has
  similar political and leisure philosophies. The
  elected Members of Parliament may in turn present
  the leisure and recreation concerns of their
  constituents to government and lobby for these
  needs to be fulfilled through policy.

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CHAPTER 4THE PUBLIC SECTOR

• The Canadian Constitution, Leisure and Recreation
• The Canada Constitution presents the Charter of
  Rights and Freedoms. This Charter of Rights and
  Freedoms does not mention leisure or recreation.
  It is assumed by convention however, by the
  federal government of Canada, that leisure and
  recreation are basic rights and freedoms of all
  Canadians.
• The section of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms
  that most closely relates to leisure and
  recreation is the fourth fundamental freedom
  stated as freedom of association. Freedom of
  association is closely linked to leisure and
  recreation as it allows individuals to form
  groups and associations to fulfil basic leisure
  and recreation needs.

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CHAPTER 4THE PUBLIC SECTOR

• Levels of Government and the Delivery of Leisure
  Services
• Leisure and recreation departments, at all levels
  of government, exist for a number of reasons,
  such as, yet not limited to, the following
• to provide recreation that because of its nature
  inculcates values/ideals to the user
• to provide opportunities for recreation to
  disadvantaged clients the poor, persons with
  physical or mental disabilities, and so forth
  and
• to provide those opportunities deemed valuable by
  society that because of their nature (e.g. cost
  compared to potential income generation), would
  not be provided by the private sector such as an
  urban park or open space (Johnson and Mclean,
  1996b 21).

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CHAPTER 4THE PUBLIC SECTOR

• Federal Government
• The federal government in Canada has power to
  make laws for the peace, order and good
  government of Canada, except for subjects
  assigned exclusively to the legislatures of the
  provinces (Forsey, 1982 19).
• The federal government receives its authority by
  convention and has a mandate to promote health
  and well-being through recreation and sport
  (Searle and Brayley, 2000 90).
• The primary clients of the federal government are
  national sport and recreation associations
  (ibid).

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CHAPTER 4THE PUBLIC SECTOR

• Provincial and Territorial Governments
• Like the federal government, provincial
  governments receive their authority by convention
  for leisure and recreation.
• The mandates of provincial and territorial
  government for leisure and recreation varies for
  each respective province and territory. Searle
  and Brayley (2000 90) identify the following
  five functions that may appear in the mandates of
  provinces and territories for leisure and
  recreation
• to promote health and well-being through
  recreation
• to promote preservation, protection and enjoyment
  of natural resources
• to preserve cultural heritage
• to promote citizenship and
• to stimulate economic development through the
  leisure industry.
• Searle and Brayley list two groups of primary
  clients for leisure and recreation for
  provincial/territorial governments. These are
• municipalities and
• provincial sport and recreation associations.

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CHAPTER 4THE PUBLIC SECTOR

• Municipal Government
• The mandate for involvement in leisure and
  recreation by municipalities usually consists of
  the following
• to encourage the development of recreation
  programs and facilities and
• to act as a catalysts for recreation development
  in the community (Searle and Brayley, 2000 90).
  
• The primary clients of municipalities for leisure
  and recreation are
• the general public,
• local sport and recreation associations, and
• local special interest groups (Searle and
  Brayley, 2000).

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CHAPTER 4THE PUBLIC SECTOR

• Yesterdays and Todays Quest for a National
  Policy on Recreation
• It may be that a national policy on recreation is
  needed more today than ever before. Unlike the
  affluent 1960s and 1970s, the 1990s experienced a
  dramatic decrease in public sector investment in
  leisure services. This uncertainty in the
  provision of public sector leisure services would
  without doubt be eased if federal government took
  the initiative to construct a national policy on
  recreation.
• With the exception of the National Recreation
  Statement of 1987, it appears that sport, rather
  than recreation, has been the driving force
  behind the shaping of a national policy.

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CHAPTER 4THE PUBLIC SECTOR

• Yesterdays and Todays Quest for a National
  Policy on Recreation
• Most recently, after two years in the making, on
  May 24, 2002, the federal provincial and
  territorial Ministers responsible for Sport,
  Fitness and Recreation finalized the Canadian
  Sport Policy. In putting this policy together,
  the Ministers were all driven by the collective
  goal of making the sport system more effective
  and inclusive. More specifically, this policy
  challenges all stakeholders to enhance
  participation, excellence, capacity and
  interaction in sport.
• Of note, for the most part, with the exception of
  the mention of leisure time as the period in
  which experience sport, the term recreation is
  omitted from the Canadian Sport Policy.

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CHAPTER 4THE PUBLIC SECTOR

• Recreation as a Basic Right
• According to Johnson and McLean (1996a 1996b),
  recreation in Canada has developed and has become
  more accepted as a right by the people of
  Canada.
• In addition to being a right, recreation is also
  perceived as being an entitlement. By viewing
  recreation as a rights the people of Canada
  have continued to place demands on the public
  sector to maintain or expand municipal recreation
  services (Johnson and McLean, 1996a 1996b).