Canada SCORES Participates in Sector Discussion on Cultural Diplomacy - Hosted by The Honourable Edith Dumont, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario
Toronto, ON – On Tuesday, September 16th, in the Lieutenant Governor’s Suite at Queen’s Park, the Honourable Edith Dumont, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, hosted leaders from across a variety of corporate, community and institutional sectors at a panel discussion on the topic of Cultural Diplomacy for Ontario: New Horizons.
With the understanding that conversations about cultural diplomacy can often gravitate toward national governments and their formal international initiatives, this panel discussion presented an opportunity to shed some light on the dynamic and diverse cultural diplomacy taking place at subnational levels—particularly in provinces and cities.
In Ontario for example, cultural diplomacy is alive and well in the everyday practices of artists, cultural organizations, municipalities, creative enterprises, and sport. Right here within the Canada SCORES Toronto nonprofit organization (and through our Vancouver affiliate), in our daily service of children and youth from underserved communities, we are actively promoting cultural diplomacy.
Canada SCORES actually crosses a variety of sectors engaging in this work as our unique after school program curriculum integrates sport (soccer), the arts (poetry) and community service projects. Together with others in these sectors, we are forging international connections, advancing global agendas, and shaping cultural presence on the world stage.
The panel explored Ontario’s unique contributions to cultural diplomacy through the lenses of local innovation and global engagement and included thought leaders from a variety of organizations.
· Dr. Sascha Priewe, Director of Collections & Public Programs, Aga Khan Museum and Co-Founder, North American Cultural Diplomacy Initiative (NACDI Moderator)
· Ige Egal, CEO of Play for Dignity and member of the Board of Directors at MLSE LaunchPad
· Dr. Sarah E.K. Smith, Canada Research Chair in Art, Culture and Global Relations at Western University
· Karen Thorne-Stone, President & CEO, Ontario Creates
On behalf of our National Board and staff, we would like to thank and acknowledge our friend Ige Egal (a panelist), for the thoughtful invitation to participate as a member of the sector audience. His generosity is appreciated as a driver of collaboration across our shared communities.
Following a warm and engaging preamble from Knowledge Keeper James Bird, who reminded us all that we are all one people, the Lt. Governor shared her profound sense of privilege to be in the room with so many like minded leaders, all focused on bringing our community to another level around cultural diplomacy, and remarked that art and sport can be great examples of platforms to profile and celebrate our many differences.
On the specific question of how sport may play a role in supporting cultural diplomacy, Egal shared his thoughts on how beyond government policy, sport can help address issues such as homelessness and poverty, citing the work of the Canadian Street Soccer Association under Hossam Khedr.
Egal went on to acknowledge the presence of Canada SCORES Executive Director Nick Taylor in the room, representing the most successful grassroots nonprofit organization to emerge from the 1994 FIFA World Cup as the first recipient of legacy funding from that event. The impact of SCORES programming is felt across North America through the SCORES Network and serves to inspire children and youth to lead healthy lives, be engaged students, and have the confidence and character to make a difference in the world. Perhaps one day, sitting in these very same rooms doing the good work of servant leaders as a new generation supporting these sectors.
In his closing thoughts on this topic, Egal shared that study after study indicates that we miss the mark on legacy in major events quite often. He suggested we need to ask what the challenges in society are that we can address from such mega events. We can’t look at FWC2026 as a one-off event, but rather a catalyst to closing gaps in access to sport and culture, as those on the margins of society must have the right to access the physical and social infrastructure to participate.
Ontario Creates’ Karen Thorne-Stone added that “We have potential to harness the power and tell stories that cross over industries and cultures.”
Dr. Smith of Western University added that art (like sport) can be a global language, and that artists, like some sporting personalities, think about global challenges and how their work and their platforms are a connection to cultural diplomacy.
A particularly eye-opening statement shared during the discussion was that we are in an environment of scarcity. There can be an expectation that only volunteers run these impact organizations, when in fact the unsung heroes across these sectors are doing the work but that we should invest in them to continue to build pathways for newcomers through culture and sport.
To learn more about the impact of Canada SCORES, and explore how you can get involved with the organization, please email us at info@canadascores.org , sign up for our quarterly newsletter “Poetry In Motion”, and follow our various social media platforms in Toronto and Vancouver.
