Canadian Minister of Sport Carla Qualtrough said early next week she will announce an "independent official mechanism" to review systemic abuses and human rights violations in Canadian sports.

Qualtrough made this comment in Switzerland during a forum held at the United Nations amid ongoing calls within Canada from athletes, coaches, and members of parliament to start a public inquiry into abuses in sports.

She said in a speech delivered at the Sporting Chance Forum on Tuesday in Geneva: "The process will be trauma-informed, based on human rights, and forward-looking."

Elite athletes in many sports have accused the federal government of failing to act in response to abuses in sports. They are among those who testified before House of Commons committees investigating the issue and repeatedly called for a public inquiry, as recommended by a parliamentary committee into mistreatment in Canadian sports.

Former Minister of Sport Pascale Saint-Onge committed to "doing something to address the athletes," whether that was a public inquiry or some form of "investigation" before she was moved to another ministerial position this summer.

In other scenarios, when the government faced a crisis, it appointed people such as retired Supreme Court judges to independently review the issue; for example, amid the military sexual misconduct crisis, the government appointed retired Supreme Court Justice Louise Arbour to review the case and issue a report.

Earlier this year, Ottawa appointed former Governor General David Johnston as an independent special rapporteur on foreign interference to investigate China's attempts to interfere in past elections, before he resigned amid controversy and a public inquiry was called.

Qualtrough did not specify what the independent mechanism to investigate abuses in sports would look like during her remarks in Geneva.

She also said she is announcing a "series of immediate actions" to address issues revealed by abuse survivors and emphasized in parliamentary committees.

Qualtrough said the announcement will include what will happen next with Canada's misuse of the safe sports program and the Office of the Integrity Commissioner of Sport.