Hon. Kristopher Wells: Honourable senators, today I rise filled with pride and gratitude as we continue to celebrate the remarkable achievements of Team Canada on the world stage. Our Canadian athletes have once again demonstrated to the world what dedication, perseverance and teamwork truly look like. Whether on the ice or down the slopes, they have represented Canada with great humility, excellence and integrity.
I want to extend my heartfelt congratulations to each and every member of Team Canada. You have inspired a nation, and you have made Canada proud.
The Olympic Games remind us of something powerful — that sport, at its very best, brings humanity together. The Olympic spirit is rooted in friendship, respect and excellence. It transcends language, politics, borders and identity. For those brief but unforgettable weeks just a short time ago, the world gathered not in division but in celebration of human potential. We cheered not only for victory but also for courage, determination and resilience.
That love of the game, that deep belief in sport as a unifying force, runs deep within Canadian identity. In towns and cities across this country, hockey rinks, football fields, swimming pools, basketball courts, lacrosse fields and community gyms are more than places of competition. They are places where young people learn teamwork, discipline and belonging. They are spaces where friendships are forged and confidence is built. Sport teaches us how to win with humility and how to lose with grace. It teaches us to lift one another up and to keep going even when the odds feel overwhelming.
For many Canadians, sport is where they first discover their strengths. It is where they experience the pride of pulling on a team jersey, the responsibility of supporting teammates and the exhilaration of pushing beyond perceived limits. It is where we build lifelong memories and defining traits of our character. Sport shapes individuals, and, in doing so, it shapes our country. Just look at our Prime Minister.
We also know that competition and rivalry are part of what makes sport so compelling. The powerful collection of Canadian novels on which the television show “Heated Rivalry” is based upon reminds us of this fact. Set within the fictional world of professional hockey, the story explores an intense on-ice rivalry that evolves into something far more personal, illustrating the complexity, pressure and passion that define competitive sports.
What makes “Heated Rivalry” so culturally significant is not only its portrayal of elite competition but also its recognition that identity, including sexual identity, exists within these high-performance spaces. As an iconic Canadian work, it challenges traditional narratives about who belongs in hockey and reminds us that, even in the most heated rivalries, athletes are human beings deserving of respect, dignity and authenticity.
But as much as sport unites us, it can also expose where we still have work to do.
Sport has not always been welcoming to everyone. For too many Canadians, particularly 2SLGBTQI+ athletes, and especially transgender and non-binary athletes, sport has too often been a place of exclusion rather than belonging. For some, stepping into a locker room has been an act of courage. For others, joining a team has meant bracing for rejection rather than embracing opportunity.
When a young person steps onto the field or the ice, they should feel the thrill of the game, not fear whether they will be accepted. They should be thinking about the next play, the next goal and the next lap, not about whether they are safe or seen.
This issue is not abstract for me. Long before I had the honour of serving in this chamber, I was working in classrooms and communities, advocating for safer and more inclusive sporting environments. I listened to young people who loved their sport deeply yet questioned whether their sport loved them back. I heard stories of isolation, silence and also of incredible courage.
That work led to the creation of Pride Tape, a simple idea with a powerful message. Pride Tape began as a roll of hockey tape designed in rainbow colours, something that players could wrap around their hockey sticks to signal that 2SLGBTQI+ athletes are welcome in the game. It was not about politics. It was about belonging. It was about creating a visible sign that says, clearly and simply, “You are safe here. You are respected here. You belong here.”
When the Edmonton Oilers became the first NHL team to use Pride Tape, it sent a powerful message not only to fans in the arena but also to countless young people watching at home. It told them that hockey belongs to them, too. That small strip of rainbow tape became a symbol of inclusion, hope and possibility.
Since that debut back in 2016, Pride Tape has been featured in more than 60 countries and has been used in multiple sports, including hockey, curling, bobsledding, lacrosse, baseball, tennis, dodge ball and so many other sports and activities. But the tape itself is only a symbol. The real goal has always been cultural change to foster sporting environments where respect is non‑negotiable and inclusion is the norm — a culture where diversity is seen not as a challenge to be managed but as a strength to be embraced.
Today, one of the most urgent conversations in sport concerns transgender athletes. These are young people who love sport. They train hard. They show up early for practice. They commit to their teammates. They dream of competition and belonging just like any other athlete. They deserve policies grounded in evidence, fairness, compassion and human rights, not fear, misinformation and political ideology.
We know from research that inclusive sporting environments improve mental health outcomes, reduce isolation and increase participation. We also know that exclusion can have serious and lasting harm. When young people are pushed out of sport, they lose not only the physical benefits of participation but also the social connections and sense of purpose that sport provides.
Inclusivity is not the weakening of sport; it is the strengthening. When every athlete feels safe and respected, performance improves, team cohesion improves and the love of the game grows deeper. Sport thrives when it reflects the diversity of the communities it serves.
As legislators and leaders, we have a responsibility to foster respectful dialogue and support evidence-based policies. We must ensure that our national sporting institutions uphold fairness while also honouring the dignity and rights of all Canadians. We must send a clear message that discrimination has no place in Canadian sport, just as it has no place in Canadian society.
When a transgender girl laces up her skates, when a non-binary athlete steps onto a basketball court and when a gay teenager joins a hockey team, they should feel exactly what our Olympic athletes feel: pride, excitement and possibility. They should feel that their country stands behind them, not in judgment but in unqualified support.
The measure of our country is not just the medals we win. It is the values we uphold. It is whether we create safe spaces where every young person can thrive. It is whether we are willing to ensure that sport remains a place of opportunity, joy and belonging for all.
Let us be a country where the love of the game truly belongs to everyone. Let us ensure that when young Canadians see Team Canada standing on the Olympic podium, they see a future where they too can participate fully and authentically as their true selves. Let us build a sport culture that reflects the very best of Canada — fairness, respect, compassion and courage.
Sport has the power to unite us. It reminds us that we are strongest not when we exclude but when we play together as one team.
The incredible cultural phenomenon of “Heated Rivalry” has taken the world by storm. Why? Because ultimately it is a human story. It is not just about sport but about the importance of authenticity, belonging and love. These are truly Canadian values that should not only be emphasized in sport but throughout all of our society.
Please join me in once again congratulating our Team Canada athletes and sport enthusiasts everywhere. May your determination and excellence continue to inspire us, not only in competition but also, more importantly, in our shared commitment to fairness, respect and inclusion in all aspects of sport and society.
Thank you. Meegwetch.