Consulting with Canadians on accessibility legislation

Message from the Honourable Carla Qualtrough, Minister of Sport and Persons with Disabilities

 

 

 

 

Transcript: Message from the Honourable Carla Qualtrough, Minister of Sport and Persons with Disabilities

 

 

In Canada we’ve made considerable progress in making our society more inclusive. We see this throughout our communities. But there is still work to do.

Canadians with disabilities continue to face barriers in their daily lives. Persistent gaps remain in areas such as employment, income and social inclusion.

As Minister of Sport and Persons with Disabilities, I have been asked to lead a consultation process that will inform the development of new accessibility legislation.

Canadians with disabilities, their families, and the organizations that represent them have been integral to many of the advancements Canada has made in accessibility. To draw on this knowledge and experience, as well as that of businesses, community organizations and government partners, the Government of Canada is conducting consultations to gather input on options for the new legislation.

We have a long road ahead, but this is a big step in helping to ensure our communities become more inclusive for all Canadians.

What does an Accessible Canada mean to you? Please take the time to participate in our online consultation or attend one of our in-person public sessions.

Together, we will make history.

 

 

 

 

 

Canadians, communities and workplaces benefit when everyone can participate equally in everyday life.

There has been much progress in making our society more inclusive, but we can do better.

This is why the Government of Canada is committed to developing new planned accessibility legislation to promote equality of opportunity and increase the inclusion and participation of Canadians who have disabilities or functional limitations.

Many Canadians continue to face barriers that affect their ability to participate in daily activities that most people take for granted. These could include:

• physical and architectural barriers that impede the ability to move freely in the built environment, use public transportation, access information or use technology;
• attitudes, beliefs and misconceptions that some people may have about people with disabilities and what they can and cannot do; and
• outdated policies and practices that do not take into account the varying abilities and disabilities that people may have.

In developing this new legislation, the Government of Canada is consulting Canadians both in person and online.

The Government of Canada is seeking your ideas to inform the development of this planned new legislation, including:

• feedback on the overall goal and approach;
• whom it should cover;
• what accessibility issues and barriers it should address;
• how it could be monitored and enforced;
• when or how often it should be reviewed;
• how and when to report to Canadians on its implementation; and
• how to raise accessibility awareness more generally and support organizations in improving accessibility.

The public consultation will be open until February 2017 and information on viewpoints received will be made available after the consultation is closed.

Canadians are encouraged to visit this site often and explore what’s new.

Click the link to website here Consulting with Canadians on accessibility legislation

 

By participating in this consultation, you are consenting to, and acknowledging that you have reviewed, understood, and agree to the Privacy Notice Statement; and that your submission, or portions thereof, may be published on Canada.ca, included in publicly available reports on the consultation, and compiled with other responses to the consultation in an open-data submission on Open.Canada.ca.

• Participate in the online questionnaire; The questionnaire is also available in an accessible PDF version.
• Submit your feedback in the language of your choice (English, French, American Sign Language or Langue des signes québécoise) and preferred format such as online, handwritten, video or audio submissions.
• You can provide your input to the Office for Disability Issues via:Phone: 1-844-836-8126TTY: 819-934-6649Fax: 819-953-4797Email: accessible-canada@hrsdc.gc.caMail:
  Consultation – Accessibility Legislation
  c/o Office for Disability Issues
  Employment and Social Development Canada
  105 Hotel-de-ville St., 1^st floor, Bag 62
  Gatineau QC K1A 0J9

All of the feedback we receive will be incorporated into reports that will be made available on the consultation website and in alternate formats, on request.

You can also consult the Discussion Guide for more information.

 

 

Attend an in-person session

Join us in the following locations to share your feedback in-person.

To pre-register for an in-person session, or to notify us of accommodation needs, please contact the Office for Disability Issues.

 

 

Public session agenda

• Welcome and opening remarks
• Public discussion
  1. What are the main barriers to accessibility that Canadians with disabilities face?
  2. What would it take to fix those barriers?
  3. How can we change attitudes in Canada to better include and respect people with disabilities?
• Conclusion

By attending and/or participating in this event, you consent to the capture of your image, likeness or voice via photgraphs, audio or video recordings.

ESDC may collect, use, produce, reproduce, publish and communicate likeness or voice via photographs, audio or video recordings captured during this event.

Note: additional details will be added as they become available.

 

What does an Accessible Canada mean to you?

Public session dates

Thursday, December 8th 4:00 pm to 7:30 pm	Prince Edward Island	Charlottetown	Murphy’s Community Centre 200 Richmond St, Charlottetown, PE C1A 1J2 Room: Auditorium
Friday, December 9th 3:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.	Nova Scotia	Halifax	Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21 1055 Marginal Rd, Halifax, NS B3H 4P7 Room Kenneth C. Rowe Hall
Wednesday, February 8th Ontario Toronto Coming soon 4:00 pm to 7:30 pm