The NDP on Tuesday introduced a private member's bill to address concerns over concussions and serious injuries in amateur sports in Canada.

The bill, brought in by party sports critic Glenn Thibeault, calls for a conference of federal and provincial health ministers, doctors and the sports community to produce a strategy to deal with the problem.

The bill calls for the creation of a national sports injury surveillance and data collection system, as well as:

• "Substantive concussion guidelines," including mechanisms to make sure athletes aren't returning to play before they are healthy.
• National training and educations standards for coaches and others involved in amateur sports.
• Funding guidelines to help amateur sports organizations implement any new injury prevention protocols.

Speaking on the CBC's Power & Politics with Evan Solomon, Minister of State for Sport Gary Lunn rejected suggestions from the NDP that the government should appoint a royal commission on sports injuries. Instead of getting the government involved, he urged bringing national sports organizations together to address the problem.

"I’ll be raising this issue with my provincial counterparts on Thursday and Friday in Halifax," he said.

"I suggest … working with the national sport organizations who have connections to the coaches and athletes, work with them to bring greater awareness."

Thibeault said there's a "concussion epidemic" in sports these days, citing NHL star Sidney Crosby's recent injury as an example.

Pittsburgh Penguins star Sidney Crosby is recovering from a concussion that has kept him on the bench for a number of weeks. (Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press)

In January, long-track speedskater Kristina Groves announced said she was cutting her season short because she'd missed so much training after suffering a concussion in November.

Thibeault noted that the "concussion epidemic" is a contentious issue, saying leagues, coaches, athletes and health specialists have different views on the issue.

"This would provide an opportunity for all stakeholders to step forward and speak freely," he said in a statement. "It would offer a chance for the creation of a co-ordinated strategy moving forward."

Concussion research needed

In an article published Monday in the Hill Times, Thibeault called for more research into concussions, saying researchers and the public are "just beginning to understand the far-reaching consequences of concussions."

In the article, he cited a 2010 study by the Hockey Concussion Education Project that found that concussion incidence rates for amateur hockey players "were roughly seven times greater than the previously estimated rate."

He also noted the community and economic impact of concussions, pointing to a 2009 report issued by Smartrisk that looked at the economic burden of unintended injuries in Canada.

The Smartrisk report found that being struck by sports equipment cost the health-care system roughly $188-million in direct and indirect costs in 2004.

"We need to encourage participation in sport," Thibeault said. "However, we also have a responsibility to ensure it's a safe space for our athletes. Doing nothing just isn't an option."

Private member's bills rarely become law.

With files from The Canadian Press