Government of Canada Response to Accessibility for All

Overview

The Government of Canada welcomes the Eighth Report of the Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills Development, Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities: Accessibility for All.

The Standing Committee has consistently been a catalyst for action and a valuable partner in advancing the Government of Canada's disability agenda, identifying important issues and providing guidance to shape action on the disability community's priorities. The Committee can be confident that the Government of Canada shares its commitment to accessibility for all and the vision of a world that is fully inclusive for Canadians with disabilities.

Accessibility is the bridge between laudable goals and meaningful results. Without it, even the most carefully crafted policies and programs will not ensure that Canadians with disabilities enjoy the full benefits of Canadian society. Accessibility for All provides a helpful overview and assessment of accessibility within the federal jurisdiction, and deepens the understanding of the broad and complex role that the Government of Canada plays in the lives of people with disabilities. It reminds Canadians that significant progress has been made in recent decades, but more is needed to achieve inclusion for all.

The Government accepts and endorses the Committee's broad definition of accessibility, understanding that eliminating obstacles to the full enjoyment of the services, programs and public goods provided within the federal jurisdiction is an essential part of levelling the playing field and building an inclusive society for people with disabilities. It also shares the Committee's concern that, despite progress, barriers remain and concerted action is needed to address continuing gaps. This is vital both to the 3.6 million Canadians currently living with disabilities and to the growing number of people affected by disability, directly or indirectly as caregivers and family members¹.

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Three quarters of Canadians without disabilities know someone with a disability². Given that the incidence of disability increases later in life, more Canadians will be soon affected by disability and by the Government of Canada's response to accessibility as the population ages.

The Government of Canada takes this responsibility very seriously, which is reflected in a range of initiatives introduced over the past 25 years. Canada is recognized as a world leader for its employment-equity legislation, expenditure programs, targeted tax measures and community services that support people with disabilities and their families. The Government will continue to build on this foundation, taking further steps to ensure it remains a model of inclusive employment practices and accessibility for Canadians with disabilities.

The Government of Canada is committed to improving coordination, research and knowledge development, and is interested in examining instruments and mechanisms that will increase coherence and accountability. The Office for Disability Issues at Social Development Canada can play an important role in this regard. The Government will strive to bring greater consistency to policies affecting expenditures and tax measures for Canadians with disabilities, and in removing barriers to transportation, government buildings, public-service employment practices, and services that fall within the federal government's jurisdiction. It will continue to produce high-quality research, such as the Participation and Activity Limitation Survey (PALS), which enables improvements to policies, programs, accountability, and the mobilization of resources. Using the federal disability report, Advancing the Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities, the Government will continue to report regularly on its progress so Canadians and their Parliament see tangible evidence of measurable progress on inclusion and accessibility for all.

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However, the barriers to inclusion extend far beyond the federal domain. Levelling the playing field and building a truly equitable society requires the support and participation of all jurisdictions.

Canadians want their governments to work together to increase the participation and inclusion of people with disabilities. The Prime Minister and Premiers identified disability issues as a collective priority in 1996 and reaffirmed their commitment at their meeting in 1997. In 1998, federal, provincial and territorial governments jointly published, In Unison: A Canadian Approach to Disability Issues³, which continues to provide a shared framework for full participation for people with disabilities. Strong federal, provincial and territorial relations have been the pillars of progress to date, particularly in increasing employment, income and disability supports for Canadians with disabilities.

The Government of Canada values its work with its long-standing partners as well as the contributions of new allies committed to equality for all Canadians. Linkages with youth, seniors, and First Nations, Inuit, and Métis people are important to successful transformation. The Government can continue to play a leadership role by engaging other orders of government, as well as the private and voluntary sectors, employers and individual Canadians to revitalize their shared commitment to inclusion and accessibility.

¹ Government of Canada, 2004, Advancing the Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities 2004.

² Ibid.

³ Quebec shares the concerns raised in the In Unison report. However, the Government of Quebec did not take part in the development of this document because it wishes to assume control over programs for people with disabilities for Quebec. Consequently, any references in this document to joint federal, provincial, and territorial positions do not include Quebec.

In Unison is available on the Social Union website .

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