Parents Need to Know Who’s Coaching Their Kids
Canadians trust schools, clubs, and community sport organizations to keep children safe. But a series of investigations and government reports shows that trust is being broken — sometimes badly.
The Report of the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage on Safe Sport in Canada found that policies designed to protect children are “often ineffective” and “unevenly applied” across the country. Even when organizations claim to have strong screening measures, dangerous gaps remain. ¹
The facts should alarm every parent:
- A 2019 CBC/Global News investigation uncovered more than 200 convictions of amateur coaches for sexual offences over the previous two decades. ²
- The Standing Committee warned that governance in sport is fragmented, with clubs, provincial bodies, and national federations all operating different standards — leaving no single enforceable system. ¹
- Experts testified that criminal record checks are inconsistent, sometimes performed only once every few years, and often fail to capture past charges or arrests that later prove relevant. ³
Most shocking of all is this finding:
*“In some instances, people with lifetime coaching bans were still coaching at clubs and associations that claimed to have screening policies in place… in some cases, people who were hired after completing screening processes were later found to have had prior charges or convictions for sexual offences.” *¹
Read that again. In a country like Canada — where we trust authorities to keep children safe — banned coaches are still slipping through the cracks.
Why the Current System Fails
Voluntary compliance: Too many “recommendations” exist without enforcement. Clubs can claim to screen, but there’s no universal audit mechanism. ¹
Fragmentation: Canada has no single, mandatory registry to track sanctions and bans. Coaches banned in one jurisdiction can simply resurface elsewhere. ¹
Incomplete checks: Vulnerable-sector checks may miss out-of-province offences or older charges. ³
The Solution: Mandating Verifiable Credentials
This is not about scaring parents away from sport. It’s about demanding safety by design. Canada urgently needs mandatory, enforceable standards so every coach, volunteer, and staff member who works with children is independently verified.
That’s where Trustable Certified Program comes in.
Trustable Certified (through the Trustable Badge program) provides a tamper-resistant, verifiable trust signal. The badge links directly to real background-check results — not vague claims. If government agencies required this kind of credential, parents could see proof for themselves.
Mandating a system like Trustable Certified would:
- Give parents transparency and peace of mind.
- Ensure lifetime bans are enforced across all clubs and provinces.
- Provide government agencies with an auditable trail for compliance.
What Parents Can Do Today
- Ask for proof: Demand to see verifiable background checks or certification for every coach and volunteer.
- Push for transparency: If your club claims to screen, ask who audits them and how often checks are renewed.
- Support change: Call on government to enforce a national, auditable standard for all sports programs.
Final Word
Sport should give kids confidence, teamwork, and joy — not put them in harm’s way. Until Canada closes these loopholes, every parent must stay vigilant, and policymakers must stop treating safe-sport protections as optional.
Trust should not be assumed. It should be proven. And requiring a program like Trustable Certification is the practical next step our children deserve.
Endnotes
- House of Commons Canada, Report of the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage: Safe Sport in Canada, 2023.
- CBC News & Global News, “Over 200 Canadian coaches convicted of sexual offences against minors in 20 years,” 2019.
- Testimony before the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage, Safe Sport hearings, 2022.
