Be part of a national movement. The Let’s Move Canada / Canada Actif Challenge invites Canadians from coast to coast to move more, connect more, and take part in simple, inclusive activities that support personal goals and collective wellbeing.
The Let’s Move Canada / Canada Actif Challenge 2026 will begin on National Health and Fitness Day, June 6th, and conclude on National Indigenous Peoples Day, June 21st. Unique to the Challenge is the National Indigenous Physical Activity Awareness Week (NIPAAW). This Challenge is an initiative of the Canadian Health and Fitness Institute (CHFI) and the Indigenous Physical Activity & Cultural Circle (IPACC).
This year’s Challenge theme, Connected Through Movement: Stories from Coast to Coast to Coast, reflects CHFI’s and broader vision that movement is not only physical. It is also a way to reduce isolation, strengthen a sense of belonging, build community, and support wellbeing.
Opening Plenary
Ian Fraser, CEO, RA Centre
John Weston, Chair, CHFI
Greetings from the Government of Canada
Session 1 — Global View: Best Practices from Abroad
A View from Around the World: What’s Working and What Scales
Her Excellency, Hanne Ulrichsen, Norwegian Ambassador to Canada
Her Excellency, Hanna Leena Korteniemi, Finnish Ambassador to Canada
Anne Witheford, Deputy High Commissioner, Australian High Commission, Ottawa
Session 2 — Non-Governmental Organizations: The Heart of Civil Society
Moderator: Michael Bentley, CHFI Director; President, SierraSil Health Inc.
Larry McCloskey, Author, Registered Social Work Psychotherapist, former Director, Carleton University’s Paul Menton Centre for Students with Disabilities
Brian Torrance, President and CEO, ParticipACTION
Pierre Lavoie, Co-founder, the Pierre Lavoie Grand Challenge
Session 3 — Policy Makers’ Perspective: Federal Level
A Healthier Canada: Roles, Boundaries, and Levers
Moderator: Senator Marty Deacon, Former member of Canadian Olympic and Commonwealth Sport Canada Boards
Dr. Rosalin Miles, Executive Director, Indigenous Physical Activity and Cultural Circle; UBC Researcher in Indigenous Health and Kinesiology and a CIHR Implementation Science Chair in Child and Youth Health
Waneek Horn-Miller, Vice President, Innovation and Client Relations, at Indigenous Financial Solutions, Olympian
Gabriel Hardy, Member of Parliament for Montmorency - Charlevoix, former President, Fitness Industry Council of Canada
Louis Villeneuve, Member of Parliament for Brome—Missisquoi
Session 4 — Policy Makers’ Perspective: Local Level
A Healthier Canada: Roles, Boundaries, and Levers - Fireside Chat with the Mayor of Canada’s Capital City
Moderator: Pierre Lafontaine, International Olympic Coach
Mark Sutcliffe, 59th Mayor of Ottawa
