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 female players in 2021. As a result, they said, the women's 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. She 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