Latest news with #vanKoeverden
Winnipeg Free Press
3 days ago
- Politics
- Winnipeg Free Press
Olympic champion kayaker Adam van Koeverden steps to helm of Canadian sport
Olympic champion paddler Adam van Koeverden is the latest politician to step into the leadership of sport in Canada. The MP for Burlington North-Milton West in Ontario was appointed Secretary of State for Sport when Prime Minister Mark Carney announced his first cabinet last month. Van Koeverden, winner of Olympic gold and three more medals in kayak sprints, follows a succession of people overseeing the federal sports portfolio over a decade of Liberal government. 'Most of those ministers of sport had something else on their portfolio, whereas I am uniquely focused on sport, which provides clarity of mandate,' van Koeverden said Monday in a phone interview. 'It's very, very obvious to me that Mark Carney values sport. He brings up sport regularly in his speeches, even when he's not talking about the (Edmonton) Oilers.' Given van Koeverden's background, the government had him involved in sport as soon as he was elected an MP in 2019 as parliamentary secretary to sport ministers for six years. The 43-year-old is now in charge of the file that's coming to grips with what's been called a safe-sport crisis by predecessors, and one in which national sports organizations are pleading for an increase in core funding. Whether his title was secretary or minister, Van Koeverden says he can keep the spotlight on sport on Parliament Hill. 'I want to ensure that sport is prominent, and is a big part of our government's plan to protect and build up Canada,' he said. 'We were just elected last month to do a bunch of things, not the least of which is protect our national identity from Americanization and from people who are suggesting both from south of the border and within our border that we ought to be more like our southern neighbours.' Sport Canada remains under the Heritage umbrella and Minister Steven Guilbeault. Van Koeverden says he and Guilbeault both have the power to approve Own The Podium funding recommendations. OTP makes recommendations, based on medal potential, directing roughly $80 million per year to Olympic and Paralympic winter and summer national sports organizations. 'Steven and I am a good team. We've been working together for years,' van Koeverden said. 'I was parliamentary secretary when he was Minister of the Environment and Climate Change. There's never going to be any light between us on any file. 'When a sport question arises in the House of Commons, it's me. When there's a project that needs to be done with Sport Canada, it's me. When we're discussing grants and contributions with sport in Canada, it's me.' Guilbeault, Kirsty Duncan, Pascale St-Onge, Kent Hehr, Terry Duguid and Carla Qualtrough (twice) all rotated through the leadership of the federal sports portfolio over the last decade. The Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport is currently absorbing the Office of the Sport Integrity Commissioner (OSIC), which was established in 2022 by St-Onge. The Future of Sport in Canada Commission, announced in Qualtrough's second stint, is ongoing and will produce a final report and recommendations next year. The commission's mandate under Justice Lise Maisonneuve is to make sport safer and improve the sport system overall. 'I'll be one of the people here in Ottawa implementing some of those recommendations,' van Koeverden said. Van Koeverden worked on getting athletes raises in their monthly 'carding' money, or Athletes Assistance Program, in 2017 when he was the vice-chair of the Canadian Olympic Committee's athletes commission, and in 2024. Some athletes now say they're using that extra money to cover training and competition costs their national sport organizations can no longer afford. The Canadian Olympic and Paralympic committees are jointly lobbying on behalf of 62 NSOs for a $144-million annual increase in core funding, which is at 2005 levels. Thursdays Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter. Core funding, separate from OTP money, is what NSOs count on to fund operations, athletes, coaches and support staff. A Deloitte survey of NSOs concluded they're cutting back on competitions, training camps and development of next-generation athletes. 'It's definitely true the national sport organizations need more money,' van Koeverden said. 'We need to make sure that they are able to engage with corporate Canada and generate a little bit of own-source revenue. We also want provinces to contribute as well to some of the NextGen, some of the pre-Canada Games opportunities, some of the provincial opportunities. 'We're working really hard to make sure that we increase the amount that's available. Not every dollar that should go into sport ought to come from the federal government, but we've demonstrated real leadership on that at the community sport level because we've invested about $75 million into community sport in the last couple of years.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 2, 2025.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Olympic champion kayaker Adam van Koeverden steps to helm of Canadian sport
Olympic champion paddler Adam van Koeverden is the latest politician to step into the leadership of sport in Canada. The MP for Burlington North-Milton West in Ontario was appointed Secretary of State for Sport when Prime Minister Mark Carney announced his first cabinet last month. Advertisement Van Koeverden, winner of Olympic gold and three more medals in kayak sprints, follows a succession of people overseeing the federal sports portfolio over a decade of Liberal government. "Most of those ministers of sport had something else on their portfolio, whereas I am uniquely focused on sport, which provides clarity of mandate," van Koeverden said Monday in a phone interview. "It's very, very obvious to me that Mark Carney values sport. He brings up sport regularly in his speeches, even when he's not talking about the (Edmonton) Oilers." Given van Koeverden's background, the government had him involved in sport as soon as he was elected an MP in 2019 as parliamentary secretary to sport ministers for six years. Advertisement The 43-year-old is now in charge of the file that's coming to grips with what's been called a safe-sport crisis by predecessors, and one in which national sports organizations are pleading for an increase in core funding. Whether his title was secretary or minister, Van Koeverden says he can keep the spotlight on sport on Parliament Hill. "I want to ensure that sport is prominent, and is a big part of our government's plan to protect and build up Canada," he said. "We were just elected last month to do a bunch of things, not the least of which is protect our national identity from Americanization and from people who are suggesting both from south of the border and within our border that we ought to be more like our southern neighbours." Advertisement Sport Canada remains under the Heritage umbrella and Minister Steven Guilbeault. Van Koeverden says he and Guilbeault both have the power to approve Own The Podium funding recommendations. OTP makes recommendations, based on medal potential, directing roughly $80 million per year to Olympic and Paralympic winter and summer national sports organizations. "Steven and I am a good team. We've been working together for years," van Koeverden said. "I was parliamentary secretary when he was Minister of the Environment and Climate Change. There's never going to be any light between us on any file. "When a sport question arises in the House of Commons, it's me. When there's a project that needs to be done with Sport Canada, it's me. When we're discussing grants and contributions with sport in Canada, it's me." Advertisement Guilbeault, Kirsty Duncan, Pascale St-Onge, Kent Hehr, Terry Duguid and Carla Qualtrough (twice) all rotated through the leadership of the federal sports portfolio over the last decade. The Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport is currently absorbing the Office of the Sport Integrity Commissioner (OSIC), which was established in 2022 by St-Onge. The Future of Sport in Canada Commission, announced in Qualtrough's second stint, is ongoing and will produce a final report and recommendations next year. The commission's mandate under Justice Lise Maisonneuve is to make sport safer and improve the sport system overall. Advertisement "I'll be one of the people here in Ottawa implementing some of those recommendations," van Koeverden said. Van Koeverden worked on getting athletes raises in their monthly "carding" money, or Athletes Assistance Program, in 2017 when he was the vice-chair of the Canadian Olympic Committee's athletes commission, and in 2024. Some athletes now say they're using that extra money to cover training and competition costs their national sport organizations can no longer afford. The Canadian Olympic and Paralympic committees are jointly lobbying on behalf of 62 NSOs for a $144-million annual increase in core funding, which is at 2005 levels. Advertisement Core funding, separate from OTP money, is what NSOs count on to fund operations, athletes, coaches and support staff. A Deloitte survey of NSOs concluded they're cutting back on competitions, training camps and development of next-generation athletes. "It's definitely true the national sport organizations need more money," van Koeverden said. "We need to make sure that they are able to engage with corporate Canada and generate a little bit of own-source revenue. We also want provinces to contribute as well to some of the NextGen, some of the pre-Canada Games opportunities, some of the provincial opportunities. "We're working really hard to make sure that we increase the amount that's available. Not every dollar that should go into sport ought to come from the federal government, but we've demonstrated real leadership on that at the community sport level because we've invested about $75 million into community sport in the last couple of years." This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 2, 2025. Donna Spencer, The Canadian Press
Hamilton Spectator
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Hamilton Spectator
‘More motivated than ever': Liberal Adam van Koeverden wins third term as Milton, Burlington MP
He's back for another term. Adam van Koeverden of the Liberal party was unofficially elected as the MP of the new Burlington North—Milton West federal riding on April 28. The four-time Olympic medallist is now a three-time elected MP, having previously won elections in 2019 and 2021. With 202 out of 208 polls reporting at 1:20 a.m. April 29, van Koeverden had received 32,702 or 52.3 per cent of the vote. His closest rival, Nadeem Akbar of the Conservative Party, received 27,872 votes or 44.6 per cent of the vote. van Koeverden credited his victory to the work of his team, his record of helping the community and to the leader of the Liberal party. 'Mark Carney came up a lot at the doors, as somebody who's competent, who's an adult, who's very well-liked. His leadership has been recognized as something that is very prescient for the day, for the moment. People see him as the economist that Canada needs in an economic crisis,' said van Koeverden. When the race was called for van Koeverden, his crowd of supporters at The Eighth Note restaurant broke into chants of 'Let's Go Adam.' van Koeverden and his team of roughly 200 volunteers knocked on tens of thousands of doors in the last month. United States President Donald Trump commented on the Canadian election earlier in the day through his social media site Truth Social. There, he laid out the argument that it would be advantageous for Canada to become the 51st state of the U.S. van Koeverden responded saying that would happen 'over his dead body.' He also argued there are similarities between the way Trump speaks and the wording Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre uses. 'A lot of their rhetoric is echoed by Pierre Poilievre and his MPs, and that's why I'm more motivated than ever to get back to Ottawa and fight against the internal threats that our country is facing, as well as the external threats from the United States,' said van Koeverden. This was the second time van Koeverden defeated Conservative Nadeem Akbar in an election. In 2021, van Koeverden won his seat in the Milton riding with 51.5 per cent of the ballots cast, or 28,503 votes. That result put him ahead of Akbar that year, by roughly 10,000 votes. Akbar said when he knocked on doors around the community, he heard a lot of people are concerned about jobs and what's happening in the U.S. and he hopes the next government can properly address those issues. 'I'm proud of my team and my campaign. I believe we did a good fight and it was all the hard work of my campaign team and special thanks to my family who was always there for me, my wife, kids and my extended family and all my friends and all of my supporters. We ran a very positive campaign,' said Akbar. With 202 of 208 polls reporting, Naveed Ahmed of the NDP received 1,374 votes and Charles Zach of the PPC received 563 votes.
CBC
12-04-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Poilievre accuses Liberals of mixed messaging as candidate calls Gaza war 'genocide'
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is accusing the Liberals of mixed messaging over the war in Gaza as video emerged of one candidate calling the crisis a "genocide" just days after leader Mark Carney clarified his own remarks. Poilievre's comments were in response to a reporter's question which referenced, in part, a video of Liberal candidate Adam van Koeverden speaking at a mosque. In the video posted by on X Saturday morning, van Koeverden — the incumbent MP in Burlington North-Milton West — can be seen saying he wants "everybody to know that our voices, your voices, will be strong in Ottawa, strong to condemn the genocide and end the genocide in Gaza." He also said that advocacy would continue to "make sure that the Palestinian voices are heard in Ottawa by our leaders and to make sure that Canada continues to stand strong for Palestinian safety and sovereignty." "The Jewish community feels understandably under siege as these hate marches and antisemitic outbursts have become an unfortunate part of Canadian life," Poilievre said at a press conference in Ottawa Saturday morning. "Frankly, the Liberals have encouraged these divisions. We see what they do. They say one thing to one group, and then exactly the opposite to another group." In March 2024, van Koeverden and nearly the entire Liberal caucus voted in favour of an NDP motion that called on the government to demand an immediate ceasefire, as well as for Hamas to release all hostages and lay down its arms. The motion also called on the government to support the work of the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court, demanded unimpeded humanitarian access to Gaza and encouraged international partners to work to pursue a comprehensive, lasting peace. Van Koeverden is also listed as a candidate supporting " The Palestine Platform," which calls for a two-way arms embargo on Israel, the recognition of a Palestinian state and proper funding for relief efforts in Gaza. Thirteen other Liberal candidates are also listed as endorsers. CBC News has reached out to the Liberal Party for a statement. Van Koeverden acknowledged the request for comment by CBC but has not provided one. Carney clarifies arms embargo comment The video of van Koeverden emerged days after Carney clarified a remark he made suggesting he agreed with the allegation that Israel's military action in Gaza qualifies as a genocide. While at a rally in Calgary, someone in the crowd — who did not appear on camera — shouted "Mr. Carney, there's a genocide in Palestine!" as the Liberal leader was getting settled on the stage. Carney replied: "I'm aware. That's why we have an arms embargo," before Liberal supporters drowned out the questioner by chanting the Liberal leader's name. WATCH | Carney clarifies Gaza comments he made at a rally: Carney clarifies Gaza comments during recent rally 3 days ago Duration 1:15 Liberal Leader Mark Carney, speaking from Calgary on Day 18 of the election campaign, is asked about his interaction with a protester at a recent rally who yelled, 'there's a genocide in Gaza' and Carney responded, 'I'm aware.' Carney said it was noisy at the rally and that he 'didn't hear that word,' referring to genocide. Asked at Calgary campaign stop the following day to clarify his response, Carney said he did not hear the word "genocide" and was just "stating a fact in terms of the arms restrictions." "I didn't hear that word," Carney said at the campaign stop, where he announced his energy plan. "It's noisy. If you're up there, you hear snippets of what people, say and I heard Gaza. And my point was I'm aware of the situation in Gaza." On Thursday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reposted the video where Carney appeared to agree with the genocide allegation. "Canada has always sided with civilization. So should Mr. Carney," Netanyahu said. "But instead of supporting Israel, a democracy that is fighting a just war with just means against the barbarians of Hamas, he attacks the one and only Jewish state. Mr. Carney, backtrack your irresponsible statement!" Israel's military operation began after the Hamas-led attack on southern Israeli communities on Oct. 7, 2023, which killed 1,200 people and captured more than 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies. Since then, Israel has reduced much of Gaza to ruins and killed more than 50,000 Palestinians in its effort to decimate Hamas, according to the enclave's health authorities. The federal government lists Hamas as a terrorist organization. Poilievre, Carney promise to protect religious groups Poilievre said Saturday that a Conservative government would bring in tougher laws to target "vandalism, hate marches that break laws [and] violent attacks based on ethnicity and religion." "Anyone who is here on a visitor visa who carries out lawbreaking will be deported from this country. And there will be very serious jail time — and on top of that, fines — for anyone who carries out antisemitic vandalism or property damage," Poilievre added. Poilievre vows tough response to antisemitism, hate crimes 3 hours ago Duration 3:24 Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre says he will crack down on antisemitism and hate crimes by introducing tougher laws to target antisemitic vandalism, ethnic or religiously motivated attacks and by deporting any visitors to Canada who commit crime. On Thursday, the Liberals announced they would introduce legislation making it a criminal offence to intentionally and willfully obstruct access to any place or worship, schools, and community centres. The Liberals also plan to significantly increase the annual budget of the Canada Community Security Program in order to help protect vulnerable communities and places of worship.
