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Date: Mon, 30 Mar 1998 13:26:43 -0500 (EST)
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From: [log in to unmask] (Roger Passmore) (by way of Dot Bonnenfant <[log in to unmask]>)
Subject: Your help please! Grass Roots Letter Writing Campaign
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To:     Activitalk listserve subscribers
  =20
From:   Active Living Advocacy Committee
Re:     Grassroots Letter Writing Campaign
Date:  March 30, 1998
=20
Note: Action Required:
Please forward this correspondence to members of your organization=92s=20
network requesting immediate action.

The attached memo from  Health Canada senior management spells the end=20
of support to fitness and active living initiatives in Canada. If=20
Health Canada acts on this proposal the national active living delivery=20
infrastructure will be unceremoniously dismantled over the next few=20
months. This is not a "renewed emphasis" as the memo states but rather=20
a 67% cut in funding from the amount allocated last year, ($3M vs. $8=20
M) allowing just enough money for an "orderly shut-down of operations."
Senior management will be presenting this proposal to the Minister on
Thursday April 2nd.

The Advocacy Committee has developed a number of short term actions,=20
including meetings with M.P.s, Minister Rock, a comprehensive media=20
strategy, and a mass letter writing campaign. =20

Mass Letter Writing

In late January a modest letter writing campaign was initiated. The=20
intent was to keep the issue of physical inactivity in front of the=20
Minister and given his public comments, this goal was achieved.=20
This campaign is different in its approach. We require hundreds of=20
letters from the grassroots in order to demonstrate the wide spread=20
damage that the proposed cuts will create. While content is always=20
important, so too in this case is volume. We are aiming for 200 letters to
hit the Minister's office (via fax) prior to his meeting on Thursday April=
 2nd.

Please consider the following guidelines when writing your letter.
1. Introduce yourself and explain the impact of this decision on your=20
local/ provincial organization or group or on you personally. e.g. =20
without national leadership, fitness and active living issues will fall=20
off the agenda, loss of national campaigns such as Summer Active, QDPE; no=
=20
leadership for national policy development e.g. national standards for=20
playground safety, Youth at Risk initiatives, active and safe routes to=20
school, access to physical activity opportunities for seniors and Canadians
with a disability etc. Please use your own examples. Also review the=
 attached=20
brief.

2. Inform the Minister, that without the active living community, his=20
federal-provincial target of reducing physical inactivity by 10% over=20
the next 5 years will not be met.

3. It is disappointing and contradictory that the Minister would=20
embrace physical activity while his officials move to slash funding.

 The letter should be addressed to:
The Honourable Allan Rock
Minister of Health
Brooke Claxton Building=20
Tunney=92s Pasture
Ottawa, On.
K1A 0K9
Attention David Rodier, Special Assistant
Fax 613 952-1154
Phone 613 957-0200

c.c.    Chaviva Hosek           Office of the Prime Minister Fax=20
(613) 941-6900
        Dr. Grant Hill M.P.     Official Opposition Health Critic FAX (613)=20
996-9770
        Dr. Keith Martin M.P.   FAX (613) 996-9779
        Elinor Caplan           Vice Chair Health Committee FAX (613)=20
992-0887

Ask for confirmation of receipt of your letter

Please fax a blind copy of your letter to Active Living Canada.  FAX:=20
(613) 748-5734
Thanks for your assistance and immediate attention to this urgent=20
action item.
If you have any questions please call selected members of the Advocacy=20
Committee


Roger Passmore, Active Living Canada                            =09
613-748-5749
Steve Grundy, Go for Green                                              =20
613-562-5309
Art Salmon, ParticipACTION                                      =09
416-954-1212
Jane Arkell, Active Living Alliance for Canadians with a Disability
Sue Cousineau,
Canadian Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and=20
Dance  =09
613-748-5622
Rick Turnbull, Canadian Intramural Recreation Association=20
                =09
613-749-5639
Geraldine Hebert Canadian Parks/Recreation Association          =09
613-748-5774

________________________________________________________________________

Memo from Health Canada:

KEY MESSAGES TO NGOs AND P/T:

- Reductions incurred under the Program Review are still being=20
implemented within Health Canada. Under this Review, the Fitness=20
Contributions Program was to be terminated by the 1998-99 fiscal year.
- Minister Dingwall=92s reallocation of $10M to fitness ($2 million tin=20
CAPC, $8 Million to support active living programs and initiatives, and=20
to support the salaries/operations of the Fitness/active Living Unit)=20
was achieved by =93borrowing=94 funds from other areas within Health Canada.=
 These=20
funds were not permanently designated for fitness/active living.
- On March 23, 1998, Health Canada senior management supported a=20
renewed emphasis on fitness/active living and allocated $5 Million to=20
fitness/active living for 1998-99 ($2 Million in CAPC, $3 Million to=20
support active living programs and initiatives, and to support the
salaries/operations of the Fitness/active Living Unit). Significant Health
Canada resource commitments/pressures have precluded additional
re-allocations from other areas within Health Canada for fitness/active
living. This situation will be presented to Minister Rock on April 2, 1998.
- The reduced amount of financial for fitness initiatives has=20
necessitated the following steps:
- Transition funding will be provided for a period of 3 months to some=20
key national organizations to enable adjustments to their operating=20
capacity/or permit and orderly shut-down of operations. The first month=20
of this transition will be provided under the 1997-98 contributions funding=
=20
program.
- Some support will be provided to high priority programs/projects=20
which are of importance in the achievement of Departmental priorities=20
and in the context of federal/provincial/territorial collaborative=20
plans. Information regarding support for these initiatives will be
forthcoming over the next month.
- Other project support may be available to NGOs through the Population=20
health Fund. At this time, the solicitation process for the Fund has=20
not been finalized.


Fitness/Active Living Unit
March 24, 1998


___________________________________________

BRIEFING NOTE

ISSUES: 1. Termination by Health Canada of Canada's NGO delivery=20
system for fitness and active living. Missed federal-provincial=20
targets for physical activity
BACKGROUND
- In a letter dated March 18, 1997 the Hon. David Dingwall committed=20
Health Canada to"at least $8 Million =97 targeted to support active living
programs and initiatives in collaboration with national organizations and=
 other=20
Partners".
- Minister Dingwall recognized the concerns of his officials vis-=E0-vis=20
internal Program Review targets, but offset these concerns by noting=20
the long term costs of physical inactivity to Canada's health care=20
system. It was with this understanding that on May 17, 1997 the Minister
confirmed that he was prepared to"consider multi-year funding agreements."
- During the 1997 spring election, the Liberal's Red Book II=20
illustrated the government's priorities as they moved into a second=20
mandate:
=93Federal government must develop new arrangements and partnerships,=20
particularly by providing funds to those who may be better placed to=20
design and deliver services, be they provincial governments, the=20
private sector or non-government organizations."
- Minister Allan Rock wrote in a letter dated March 13th:
=93Physical activity is a major determinant of health, and Health Canada=20
has played a long-standing role in supporting national policies and=20
initiatives designed to increase the number of Canadians that=20
participate in physical activity. This role is carried out in partnership=
 with=20
non-governmental organizations like yours.=94
- Furthermore, Minister Rock clearly identified a target for the work=20
to be done via these partnerships, days ago in the Commons when he=20
stated that:
"If over the next five years we could reduce the level of inactivity by=20
10% we could save about $5 Billion in health care costs." (Hansard,=20
17-3-98)=20
- Health Canada has in fact entered into a federal-provincial=20
arrangement to meet the targets cited by the Minister. This arrangement=20
was touted by the Minister's Parliamentary Secretary, Joe Volpe, to a=20
public forum of NGOs in August 1997. In contradiction to the above, on March
24, 1998 Health Canada officials announced their intention to abrogate the=
=20
federal government's financial commitment, and to thereby effectively=20
dismantle the NGO delivery system. An internal reallocation of funds was
cited for the initiative as well as the possibility of providing three-month=
=20
transitional funding to"permit an orderly shut-down of operations." (Health
Canada Communications Plan)
- In the absence of an NGO delivery network, it is highly unlikely that=20
Canada will meet its 10% physical inactivity reduction target.
DISCUSSION
- Canada's NGO program delivery system was established under a Liberal=20
government in the late 1960's and since then has provided a broad range=20
of services to millions of Canadians. They have provided essential=20
resources to collaborative partners from the fields of health, education,=20
recreation, transportation, and social services.
- As evidenced by recent polling data provided by Michael Marzolini of=20
Pollara Public Opinion Research, health care now surpasses deficit and=20
debt reduction as the primary concern of Canadians.
- During last weekend's national biennial convention of the Liberal=20
Party, the first question from the floor during Saturday's "Cabinet=20
Accountability" session was directed towards sustainable health-care=20
funding. Indeed, the majority of the questions posed during this session
touched upon health care.
- Ministerial commitments to mutli-year funding in the amount of $10=20
million are well documented and are in the public domain. Departmental=20
spending plans also speak to the funding commitment and indeed funds=20
were initially allocated.=20
- NGOs have incurred liabilities against that commitment. Moreover,=20
federal-provincial arrangements have been entered into and=20
communication efforts have been launched to demonstrate Canada's=20
leadership on the issue.
CONCLUSION
Given:
i. the profile presently enjoyed by health care on the national agenda,
ii. the Ministerial commitment to NGOs and the liabilities incurred=20
against such commitments, and
iii. the obligations under federal-provincial agreements,
it would be politically and legally challenging for Health Canada to=20
abrogate their commitment of $10 million ($2 million in CAPC, $8=20
million for fitness/active living initiatives)

Update -- Meeting with Allan Rock

Stu Robbins, Chair of Active Living Canada and Russ Kisby, President of=20
ParticipACTION, met with Minister Rock on Friday afternoon (March27).=20
The meeting was set up and attended by Bryon Wilfert, Liberal MP for=20
Oak Ridges and former President of CP/RA. Minister Rock listened very=20
carefully to the concerns presented. He recognizes the important role=20
played by the active living delivery system. He is also committed to=20
the reduction of physical inactivity by 10% over the next 5 years. He=20
promised to ask questions of his officials regarding their=20
recommendations for the future of  fitness and active living. The=20
meeting accomplished part of the overall advocacy strategy of placing=20
doubt in the Minister=92s mind of the wisdom of the recommendations=20
coming from his senior bureaucrats.=20