Forewords

In early 1970, Mr. Pierre Elliott Trudeau, then Prime Minister of Canada, asked me to chair the Canadian Council for Physical Fitness and Amateur Sports. After conducting some research, the Council was shocked to discover that Canada was ranked one of the lowest countries in the world in terms of the degree of physical fitness of its citizens. I suggested to the Prime Minister that we should create an organization that would be mandated to try to change this unfortunate fact. As I remember it, 85% of our free time as Canadians (after work and sleep) was spent watching TV and riding in automobiles.

Mr. Trudeau naturally asked me how much it would cost to create this organization. I replied that it costs automobile companies a minimum of five million dollars to launch a new model, and that we would need at least the same amount to change Canadians' fitness awareness. he thought the amount high but offered to contribute half, over a period of time, if we could raise the other half.

We started "ParticipACTION" (coining a new word in the process) with a seed grant from government and enlisted the contribution of the major media players across Canada. Thanks to this new partnership between the federal government and the media in our country, we managed to raise the necessary funds and set out to change the physical fitness awareness and involvement of Canadians from coast to coast.

Thanks to ParticipACTION, Canadians became more involved in taking the good of their own health in hand. The program provided a model for other countries in terms of what could be done to motivate citizens to become more active. We succeeded in positioning ourselves in the top 10 leading nations with respect to our physical fitness level.

In so doing, ParticipACTION helped Canadians become fitter and more active in their communities, and contributed over the course of 30 years towards saving our government millions of dollars in remedial medical expenditures. To this day, I still find it hard to understand why the federal government reduced to such an extent and then terminated its financial support for ParticipACTION, a program with such obvious health benefits for our nation.

Nevertheless, I am forever proud to have been associated with the dedicated individuals who launched and ran ParticipACTION all those years. You helped us become better because of your "being there."

Philippe de Gaspe Beaubien

President, La Fondation de Gaspe Beaubien

Former President of Telemedia

ParticipACTION Founder and Board Chair, 1973-77

In December 2000, the Board of ParticipACTION decided to close its doors because of insufficient resources to continue a national campaign in the highly competitive communications and media environment of the 21st century. It was not an easy decision to make. A subsequent survey showed that even with minimal coverage and no new campaigns in the previous year, 85% of Canadians still recognized the ParticipACTION brand and message. This is an accomplishment that many private companies who spend millions of dollars on advertising would love to achieve.

It is important that we document the ParticipACTION story, and the support of CPHA in helping to share this information is most appreciated. The future is also important. As the prevalence of obesity and chronic diseases increases in Canada, the physical activity message is even more relevant.

Although ParticipACTION was a small company, its voice and message rang loud and clear. It was the proverbial "mouse that roared." What will fill the void? A mouse's shoes may be small, but when you are as popular as Mickey�, they are pretty hard to fill.

Marilyn Knox

President Nutrition, Nestle Canada.

ParticipACTION Board Member since 1992, Chair, 2000-2001

In 1991, the Canadian Public Health Association presented ParticipACTION with one of its highest awards - the Ortho Award for "outstanding contribution to health in Canada." CPHA and ParticipACTION have been longstanding partners and friends, having worked together on issues such as physical activity and aging, prenatal fitness, physical activity in schools and workplaces, the CrownLife ParticipACTION Challenge and other initiatives.

Social marketing and health communications have now become a standard part of public health practice in Canada. We owe much of what we have learned to ParticipACTION's leadership. The year that ParticipACTION began its ground-breaking campaign was the same year that Philip Kotler and Gerald Zaltman published the first article suggesting that the marketing techniques used to sell Coca-Cola� could also be used to sell health and social ideas such as physical activity.

This is an important story for public health in Canada and around the world. CPHA, through the Canadian Journal of Public Health, is pleased to help tell it.

Gerald Dafoe

Former Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Public Health Association