18. Recognises the role of sport, including professional sport, as an important tool for promoting team spirit, fairness and a sense of responsibility, social inclusion and cultural integration, as a factor to promote growth and job creation, local and regional development, and urban renewal and rural development, and as a way of fostering values such as solidarity, tolerance, and fair competition, as well as combating obesity and overweight, and the important contribution it makes to handing on fundamental social, educational and cultural values; calls for a greater commitment to combating doping, crime and corruption within clubs;

Acknowledges the roles of the principal actors in professional team-sports, i.e. the clubs as the basic unit, employing players and providing the main link with supporters; players' unions as representatives of the employees; leagues, as the competent organisers at national level and employers' representatives, together with the clubs; and the governing bodies as the guardians of the sport and the rules of the game; with all four elements working to achieve good health, integrity and solidarity within sport;

8. Acknowledges the roles of the principal actors in professional team-sports, i.e. the clubs as the basic unit, employing players and providing the main link with supporters; players' unions as representatives of the employees; leagues, as the competent organisers at national level and employers" representatives, together with the clubs; and the governing bodies as the guardians of the sport and the rules of the game; with all four elements working to achieve good health, integrity and solidarity within sport;

B. whereas, in addition to its economic significance, professional and amateur sport has an important educational and social function, fostering a spirit of friendship, solidarity, and fair play, and helping to overcome xenophobia and racism,

I think we all agree with you that professional sports, whether they be the Habs—of whom I used to be a fan, by the way, until I moved to Calgary—or the Blue Jays or the other professional sports, are very important, not only financially and economically, but obviously for a psyche that we have as Canadians.

If there were more government involvement, either for taxes or directly, with professional sports teams, would you be favourable to them making a commitment to invest more in amateur sport?