Canadian women's soccer team tells MPs their program is being asked to do more with less

Members of the Olympic champion Canadian women's soccer team told a committee of MPs Thursday that their program is being held back by a lack of support from their governing body.

The team, like its male counterpart, is embroiled in a bitter labour dispute with Canada Soccer, the sport's governing body. Team captain Christine Sinclair and players Janine Beckie, Sophie Schmidt and Quinn brought their case before members of the heritage committee on Thursday.

"There is no greater honour as an athlete than to step on the competitive stage and represent our country," Sinclair said in her opening remarks. "These have been some of the greatest moments of our lives. But they've not come without frustration."

The players gave a scathing review of Canada Soccer, saying the organization paid male players five times as much as it did players on the women's team in 2021. But they said pay equity is only a part of their fight.

They said the women's program overall receives less support. They said the team has been holding training camps without fully staffed medical and training teams.

"We as players sometimes have to make choices about which medical treatments to receive when staff physiotherapists are stretched," Quinn said. They added that the team also has had to cut the number of players at camp, making it unable to run full field drills.

Members of the women's team say they want the same support and backing ahead of this summer's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand as the men's team received before its soccer showcase last year in Qatar. Both teams want Canada Soccer to open its books and explain why its programs are being cut this year.

"We've … been successful with less and have been expected to do more with less," Beckie said. "We're so sick and tired of having to fight the same battle."

Sinclair told the committee she brought the team's concerns to former Canada Soccer president Nick Bontis last year but was largely ignored.

"The president of Canada Soccer listened to what I had to say and then later in the meeting referred back to it as, 'What was it Christine was bitching about?'" Sinclair said.

The women's team members, whose previous labour deal expired at the end of 2021, have struck an agreement in principle with Canada Soccer on compensation for 2022 but say other issues have yet to be resolved.

Conservative MP and committee member Kevin Waugh said the way the team is being treated is an "embarrassment."

"I have a granddaughter playing soccer because of you," he said. "It's not because of the men's team. It's not because of [Canada Soccer]. It's because of the Canadian women's soccer team — what you've accomplished in the last ten plus years."

Liberal MP Lisa Hepfner noted the meeting was taking place the day after International Women's Day and asked the players if they could think of any rational reason why Canada Soccer would provide less support to the women's team.