'We're going to get it done': Canada's sport minister says money for Paralympic medals is coming

For years Canada's Para athletes have been asking why they don't receive money for medals at the Paralympics, while Canadian athletes who win medals at the Olympics receive financial rewards.

It appears that those questions are finally about to be answered.

In an exclusive interview with CBC Sports on Thursday in Santiago, Chile, ahead of the 2023 Parapan Am Games, Canada's Minister of Sport and Physical Activity, Carla Qualtrough, said that an announcement is coming.

"We're going to get it done. I can't scoop anybody so you're not going to get any further details from me but I assure you that before Paris there will be some really exciting news on that front as there should be," Qualtrough said.

Qualtrough won three bronze medals in swimming at the 1988 and 1992 Paralympics, as well as four world championship medals for Team Canada.

The Canadian Paralympic Committee wasn't able to add any further details on a timeline regarding an announcement at this point.

However, last March in an interview with CBC Sports a top official at the Canadian Olympic Committee said getting a deal done regarding money for medals was high on the list of priorities.

"It's such an obvious gap and it's time to get this done," Karen O'Neill, the CPC's CEO, said. "As much as we can say change is slow and steady, there's got to be some action. It's a priority."

Canadian Olympic athletes who win medals are financially rewarded for their efforts — $20,000 for a gold, $15,000 for a silver and $10,000 for a bronze.

Canadian Paralympians who reach the podium don't receive a single dollar. And it's been that way since the country's medal bonus program began more than 25 years ago.

The bonus program is called the Athlete Excellence Fund and it is