Gary Lunn appointed as Minister of State for Sport

Hi all,

Good news folks - the Prime Minister has just appointed Gary Lunn as Minister of State for Sport. This will bring together the various sporting elements (including Vancouver 2010) under one Minister with a seat at the cabinet table. It is also notable that Minister Lunn has been appointed to the Cabinet Committee on Social Affairs and to the Treasury Board.

Minister Lunn resides in Sidney, BC (just outside Victoria) and his riding (Saanich-Gulf Islands) is home to the new Pacific Institute for Sport Excellence. You'll be safe if you hit the slopes with the Minister as he's a former member of the Canadian Ski Patrol. Please take the time to write to the Minister and congratulate him on his new leadership role.

There are a number of other promising appointments:

• Our new Health Minister is Leona Aglukkaq from Nunavut. This bodes well for health promotion efforts in northern communities and in preventative health strategies - like physical activity - about which the Minister has previous experience as a Territorial politician.
• The 2015 bid for the Pan American Games will be pleased to have Minister John Baird in charge of the communities and infrastructure file - strong Ontario and Queens Park ties ought to help.
• Former Secretary of State for Sport, Helena Guergis, is now the Minister for the Status of Women which may create some opportunities for linkages to the new women in sport policy and to the efforts of the CAAWS network.
• We've always been impressed with James Moore who is the newly minted Minister of Canadian Heritage, the department where Sport Canada resides.
• Also pleased to see that some are continuing on, including Minister Oda at International Cooperation for those involved in international sport for development and Minister Chuck Strahl at Indian Affairs and Northern Development (new investors in sport projects!)
• All around good guy and sport leader from Aquatics, Denis Lebel, has been appointed to cabinet for the first time as Minister of State for Economic Development Agency of Canada for Quebec.
• And props to Rob Merrifield for making it in this time around (Minister of State for Transport). Minister Merrifield did yeoman's duty for sport as chair of the Standing Committee on Finance during the last budget cycle.

All for now,
Ian

Senior Leader