Team Canada Celebration caps a magical Milano Cortina 2026 for Canadian Paralympians

OTTAWA – Honoured by their country, praised by their Prime Minister, and loved here in Canada, the nation’s Paralympians and Olympians descended on Ottawa Wednesday for an unforgettable day in fitting tribute.

Even Ottawa’s turbulent spring weather appeared to take a break from the rain and cold. Sunshine, comfortable temperatures with fluffy clouds speckling on blue skies made for a perfect backdrop against the historic Rideau Hall and Parliament buildings as the athletes mingled with each other, posed for pictures together, and recorded videos for their social media accounts.

‘’What a great opportunity this was,” said Tyler Turner of Campbell River, B.C., bronze medallist in Para snowboard at Milano Cortina. ‘’After not having this opportunity after Beijing (due to the pandemic), I’m so grateful to be part of it this time and enjoy it all.’’

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The day started at Rideau Hall where they met Governor General Mary Simon, a loud supporter of the Paralympic Movement, and visited the grounds where schoolchildren asked for and received valuable autographs from their heroes they watched on TV in February and March.

Then it was off to the Sir John A. MacDonald building across the street from Parliament for a luncheon where they had an opportunity to connect with sports leaders, senators, and parliamentarians ahead of recognition in the House of Commons later in the afternoon.

‘’It was great to meet our fellow athletes that we don’t run into very often and shake hands with some pretty important people here in Canada. It was incredible,” added Turner.

After lunch, the official proceedings saw speeches from CPC and COC presidents Marc-André Fabien and Tricia Smith, Paralympian Tyler McGregor and Olympian Valerie Maltais, and Adam van Koeverden, the Secretary of State (Sport), who also highlighted the government’s commitment to sport which was greeted by wild cheers.

The federal government recently announced a commitment of $755 million over five years toward Canada’s sport system, along with $118 million in ongoing annual funding. It is aimed at strengthening grassroots participation, supporting high-performance athletes, and improving sport infrastructure and safe-sport programs across the country.

Athletes and sport leaders welcomed the announcement, saying the funding could create more opportunities for Canadians – including athletes with disabilities – to access and remain in sport at every level.

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‘’One of the most important aspects of the announcement is that it will not just touch high performance but the grassroots as well on the way up to the Paralympic and Olympic level,’’ said Para ice hockey player McGregor of Forest, Ont., recently elected to the International Paralympic Committee’s athletes’ council.

‘’I think it really needs to be dispersed properly and thoughtfully to include everyone within our sport population. And people with a disability should be at the forefront of those conversations.”

Prime Minister Mark Carney also took to the stage, heaping his praise and pride on the athletes in attendance including the story of Canada’s Paralympic champion wheelchair curling team’s historic run and Para nordic skier’s Natalie Wilkie four-medal performance which included two gold.

After the speech, Carney took time for a private meeting with both the Paralympic and Olympic gold medallists.

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‘’The Prime Minister just told us how proud he and all Canadians were of us and as an athlete himself he gets it,’’ said Mark Ideson of London, Ont., skip of Canada’s wheelchair curling team. ‘’I really enjoyed being around him. He’s a humble guy, really curious and asked a lot of questions.’’

And there was little question the athletes had earned a day like this.