CALGARY — Carla Qualtrough knows what it’s like to subsist on a humble salary as a three-time Paralympic medallist in swimming.

These days, the 44-year-old lawyer is also the federal minister of sport and persons with disabilities charged with oversight of Sport Canada.

The federal government invests about $200 million annually into the country’s sport system. And with less than two weeks until the opening ceremonies in Rio, the minister is unsure if Canada’s targeted approach to funding is in need of a minor adjustment or a complete overhaul once these Olympics have ended.

“Like any coach would tell you, we always have to review our game plan,” Qualtrough says. “We’ve been doing the same thing for 10 years. Is this the best way to optimize the investment we’re making (while) making sure we’re getting results and remaining competitive internationally?”

Canada currently has a targeted funding system, which favours athletes with medal potential. Canadian Olympians and Paralympians receive money from a variety of sources, including federal carding, provincial excellence programs, personal fundraising and corporate support.

The debate over whether this is the right approach will no doubt simmer in the background as the Canadian Olympic team embarks for Rio with the official goal of improving on the 18 medals won at the 2012 Games.

Qualtrough herself is reserving judgment until she sees the results of a federal review of Canada’s funding model. A release date is not known for the report, which will take into account Canada’s performance in Rio.

Here’s a look at how funding works today:

BASE FUNDING

Go into any gym where Canadian athletes train, and you’ll find the middle-distance runner on the treadmill makes a different amount of money than the bobsleigh pilot lifting weights or the cyclist on the stationary bike.

All senior carded athletes receive about $1,500 a month from the federal government, but their total take-home pay varies wildly — as does the support for the various sports federations through Own the Podium.

Sprinter Andre De Grasse signed an $11.25-million shoe deal with Puma last November. But he is the exception.

Marathon runner Lanni Marchant is raising money for her family to go to Rio via crowdfunding. Sailors Danielle Boyd and Erin Rafuse auctioned off a pair of Tragically Hip tickets at the Kingston Yacht Club to help pay for their trip to Brazil. Wrestlers Jasmine Mian and Erica Wiebe held a western-themed fundraiser at a community hall in conjunction with the Calgary Stampede.

“It’s hard to be an athlete in Canada,” says Wiebe, a medal favourite in the 75-kg division. “We live on a very tight budget. That’s just the way it is.”

The $1,500 monthly stipend from the federal government has not changed since 2004. According to the Bank of Canada, the consumer price index has increased 23% over those 16 years. So to keep up with inflation, it should be $1,842 by now.

“You can’t really live on that,” says Helen Upperton, a 2010 Olympic silver medallist in bobsleigh. “The carding money obviously helps, but the fact it doesn’t increase with inflation and the cost of living just blows my mind.”

By contrast, in Great Britain, athletes receive up to $45,190 annually from UK Sport, which is backed by the government and the National Lottery.

“I get by,” says Wiebe, who receives an extra $6,000 annually in provincial funding. “I've always lived with roommates. I got my car on Kijiji a year ago. It was my first car, a 2008 Ford Focus. It doesn’t always start, but it gets me to training and back.”

Wiebe considers herself lucky, as she is sponsored by the likes of KPMG and Main Dish, a Calgary eatery that specializes in nutritious meals. She also benefits from the Canadian Athletes Now Fund and the HBC athlete bursary program. And as a Canadian athlete, she is eligible for a medal bonus of $20,000 for a gold medal in Rio, $15,000 for silver and $10,000 for bronze.

But she feels for some of her counterparts who are left behind.

"I see the disproportion,” she says quietly. “It’s really tough. I think we need to support development athletes and athletes at all different levels of the game.”

TARGETED FUNDING

Own the Podium was born back in 2005 when Canada set a lofty goal of topping the medal chart at the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver.

In conjunction with the Vancouver organizing committee and the federal government, OTP guided the investment of $110 million over five years to help athletes in their quest to reach the podium — and Canada did top the medal tables, setting a new record for gold medals with 14.

Own the Podium funding for summer sport launched in 2009. Three years later, Canada finished with 18 medals at the London Olympics, one fewer than 2008 in Beijing.

Rio is the first Summer Games where Canadian athletes have benefitted from a full quadrennial of targeted funding.

“Rio is going to be interesting, because of the number of athletes who retired after London,” Qualtrough says. “I think it would be fair to say this is going to be more of a transitional year in terms of our results. “

By definition, Own the Podium does not provide a level playing field.

For example, Canada’s female wrestlers are expected to win medals in Rio. As such, Wrestling Canada received $1.379 million in targeted funding. Boxing Canada — with no projected medallists — collected just $310,000.

After winning eight track and field medals at the 2015 world championships, Athletics Canada cashed in with $4.135 million in OTP funding. Sailing, meanwhile, was awarded $30,000 in top-up support.

“I think there’s a vicious cycle,” says Ashley LaBrie, executive director of AthletesCAN, the association of national team athletes. “If (athletes) are not receiving that funding, it’s so much harder for them to reach their potential. And if they don’t reach their potential, they’re not going to get the funding … It’s almost an impossible barrier to get over.”

But OTP is limited by its budget, says Athletics Canada head coach Peter Eriksson. So, by definition, some people will be left behind.

"OTP’s mandate is to see a return on investment,” he says. “It’s like any business. Why would you invest in a company that doesn’t give you profit? You can’t just expect it to be like social services.”

NEXT GEN

One strategy that everyone seems to support is investment in younger athletes with podium potential 5-8 years down the road.

In many sports, Canada lacks of the depth of countries like the United States and the United Kingdom. That means injuries — like the one to soccer goalkeeper Erin McLeod — can prove crushing. And the same goes for retirements.

In the 2015 budget, the federal government announced it would invest $5 million annually over four years — to be matched by OTP through fundraising. That means $40 million is earmarked for athletes with medal potential for the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing and beyond.

“We punch above our weight class,” says John Furlong, chair of the OTP advisory board. “But our view is that we can do even better.”

CORPORATE INJECTION

Canadian athletes cannot thrive in a system where they have to rely on government handouts alone, Upperton says. Corporate Canada must play a role.

After finishing fourth at the 2006 Turin Games, Upperton received help from B2ten, a group of Canadian business leaders who believe in the importance of sport and health’s contribution to society.

Since the Foundation’s inception in 2006, B2ten has raised some $30 million to fill training and preparation needs for athletes up to and including the 2020 Summer Games in Tokyo.

In Upperton’s case, B2ten bought her a new sled and helped with everything from hiring a mechanic to accessing physiotherapy and sports psychology.

“I don’t think Kaillie Humphries, Lyndon Rush and myself would have been on the podium in Vancouver without that support,” she says, “You always need the support of the private sector.”

The private sector is backing some Canadian Olympians heading into Rio.

BMW, for example, works with several athletes, including kayaker Mark de Jonge, high jumper Derek Drouin and swimmer Ryan Cochrane. Flagbearer Rosie MacLennan is one Canadian athlete featured in the “Thank You Mom” campaign by Procter & Gamble. Middle-distance runner Melissa Bishop is featured prominently in Nike ads.

Upperton knows how hard it is to attract that kind of support, which is a big reason why she is so distressed by the doping scandals dominating the headlines surrounding the Rio Games.

“It’s already hard enough for athlete to get funding,” she says. “Do you think companies will want to be associated with all this bad press and bad media? It’s just crazy.”

Email:vhall@postmedia.com

Twitter:@vickihallCH

How Canada compares with country’s with similar sports funding models:

CANADA

Population: 35.16 million

Direct summer sport investment during the four-year cycle heading into Rio: $137.33 million

Per capita: $3.90

Projected Olympic medals in Rio (via Gracenote): 16 (three gold, eight silver and five bronze)

Did you know? 75% of Canada’s medals are expected to come from women

NEW ZEALAND

Population: 4.5 million

Direct summer sport investment during the four-year cycle heading into Rio: $99.01 million

Per capita: $22

Projected medals in Rio (via Gracenote): 25 (seven gold, 11 silver and seven bronze)

Did you know? New Zealand directs 40% of high performance monies to just three summer sports: rowing, cycling and sailing

AUSTRALIA

Population: 24.17 million

Direct summer sport investment during the four-year cycle heading into Rio: $333.2 million

Per capita: $13.80

Projected medals in Rio (via Gracenote): 42 (16 gold, 13 silver, 13 bronze)

Did you know? Swimmer Cate Campbell is tapped to collect four medals in Rio (golds in 50-metre freestyle, 100-metre freestyle and 4x100-metre freestyle and silver in the 4x100-metre medley)

NETHERLANDS

Population: 17 million

Direct summer sport investment during the four-year cycle heading into Rio: $97.98 million

Per capita: $5.80

Projected medals in Rio (via Gracenote): 26 (seven gold, nine silver, 10 bronze)

Did you know? Equestrian sports are a big deal in Holland, with three medals — including two gold — expected for the Dutch in Rio

*All funds are in Canadian dollars