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TORONTO, October 27, 1998 -- Federal-provincial-territorial Ministers responsible for Social Services held their annual meeting in Toronto today. Ministers discussed issues in the social services sector, with particular emphasis on initiatives for children and persons with disabilities. Overall, the meeting was characterized by a willingness to work together to better serve the needs of Canadians. The meeting was co-chaired by the Honourable Pierre S. Pettigrew, Minister of Human Resources Development Canada, and the Honourable Janet Ecker, Minister of Community and Social Services for Ontario and Lead Provincial/Territorial Minister. Ministers released In Unison: A Canadian Approach to Disability Issues, a policy framework to guide future government action in the area of disabilities. At the request of First Ministers, federal, provincial and territorial governments have been working together over the last two years to develop a common vision aimed at promoting greater equality and inclusion of persons with disabilities in all aspects of Canadian society. Discussions were held with members of the disability community during the development of In Unison; the document was revised to reflect this input. In addition, Ministers supported the development of an accountability framework for In Unison and the creation of Disability Links, a web page that will allow clients to access information on disability-related programs and services. "In Unison breaks new ground for governments in this country," said Minister Pettigrew. "For the first time, we have a common vision on disability issues. This document will be the focus of our ongoing work promoting greater equality and inclusion for Canadians with disabilities." "In Unison provides a framework for future policy direction that will guide jurisdictions as they move from vision to action in ways that are consistent with local priorities for persons with disabilities," said Minister Ecker. "This framework acknowledges our commitment to supporting persons with disabilities in achieving lives that are as fulfilling and independent as possible." Ministers continued to make progress on the National Child Benefit (NCB). Ministers reviewed the successful launch of the NCB in July 1998. As part of the NCB, the new Canada Child Tax Benefit is providing monthly benefits to low-income families with children. Provincial and territorial governments have put in place reinvestment programs, which provide a wide range of new benefits and services to meet the common objectives of promoting attachment to the labour force and preventing and reducing the depth of child poverty. Ministers also discussed plans for the next phase of the NCB. The Government of Canada has committed an additional contribution of $850 million to increase the Canada Child Tax Benefit, $425 million in 1999, and $425 million in the year 2000. Provinces and territories will continue to make complementary reinvestments in the NCB. Ministers confirmed their intention to release the first public report on the NCB over the coming months. Ministers recognized the need to ensure that Aboriginal children benefit from the NCB, like other Canadian children, and that Aboriginal people and communities should have input on the ongoing work of the NCB. The federal government will continue to work with First Nations in this regard. Ministers reviewed progress to develop a comprehensive approach to a National Children's Agenda, and indicated their support for future work to advance this Agenda. Quebec Minister Pauline Marois affirmed that, while sharing essentially the same goals, the Government of Quebec does not intend to adhere to the federal-provincial-territorial approach to social policies. The Government of Quebec reaffirms its will to exercise fully its control over the development, planning and management of social policies in its territory, in full accordance with its exclusive jurisdiction in this field. Consequently, any reference to joint federal-provincial-territorial positions does not include the Government of Quebec. Provincial/territorial Ministers, with the exception of Quebec, also signed an information sharing agreement today to establish a framework for the bi-lateral sharing of social assistance information between provinces/territories, within the context of existing privacy legislation. Due to its own legislation, Quebec will sign individual agreements with each province, as required. All Ministers agreed that this has been a year of real progress on issues affecting children and persons with disabilities in the social services sector, and they look forward to continuing this work over the coming year. At the conclusion of the meeting, Minister Ecker welcomed Dr. Lyle Oberg, Minister of Family and Social Services, Government of Alberta, as the incoming 1998/99 Lead Provincial/Territorial Minister. Attached Backgrounder: In Unison: A Canadian Approach to Disability Issues For more information:
Backgrounder In Unison: A Canadian Approach to Disability Issues At the June 1996 First Ministers' Meeting, the Prime Minister, Premiers and Territorial Government Leaders identified persons with disabilities as a collective priority in the pursuit of social policy renewal. This commitment by governments to persons with disabilities was reaffirmed by First Ministers at their meeting in December 1997. Governments have been focussing on reform of benefits and services for persons with disabilities. To assist in these changes, federal, provincial and territorial Social Services Ministers agreed in April 1997 that they needed to develop a shared vision and policy framework to guide future reform. Their collaborative efforts have resulted in the development of In Unison: A Canadian Approach to Disability Issues. In Unison outlines a shared vision that promotes full citizenship for Canadians with disabilities, building on past initiatives such as the Mainstream Review in 1992 and the Federal Task Force on Disability Issues (also known as the Scott Task Force). The vision is based on the values of equality, inclusion and independence. In Unison translates the vision of full citizenship into objectives and policy directions within three interrelated building blocks: disability supports, employment and income. In Unison represents the first time that federal, provincial and territorial governments have agreed on a common vision and long-term policy directions in the disability area. Following their review and approval of In Unison on March 12, 1998, Social Services Ministers asked that discussions with key stakeholders from the disability community be undertaken to seek the views of stakeholders on In Unison and to identify future directions that could serve to guide future work in the disability area. Consistent with this mandate, In Unison discussion sessions were held in July 1998. Two sessions were held in Edmonton and Halifax with national and provincial stakeholders and the Government of Canada held an Aboriginal peoples' perspectives session in Saskatoon to which provinces and territories were observers. Participants provided many comments and suggestions and, as a result, In Unison was revised to reflect the discussions with stakeholders. Ministers have also announced two federal / provincial / territorial initiatives to complement In Unison: a federal / provincial / territorial Internet connection called Disability Links and the development of a Disability Accountability Framework. Federal / Provincial / Territorial Joint Initiatives In Support of In Unison Disability Links Disability Links is an Internet connection that will provide job accommodation information to job-seekers with disabilities and employers. It will be innovative in offering single entry, barrier-free and user-friendly access to federal / provincial / territorial programs and services that will facilitate the integration of persons with disabilities into the work force. In addition, Disability Links will offer a seamless connection between federal, provincial and territorial sites. It builds on work already done and will allow each jurisdiction to expand or rearrange their information. Disability Links will be developed over the coming months. Accountability Framework In Unison is the result of a collective effort and constitutes a major achievement of the Ministers Responsible for Social Services. They are determined to monitor the implementation of In Unison, to measure its successes and the challenges that continue to be addressed. The proposed accountability framework will guide the way governments report to the public on actions in support of In Unison for persons with disabilities. It will also enable governments to share information with each other. An accountability framework will illustrate how federal, provincial and territorial governments are working together in the interest of Canadians and inform and educate Canadians about challenges in the area of disability. Work on developing an accountability process will begin shortly and will include input from the disability community. 1 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 persons with disabilities for Quebec. Consequently, any references in this document to joint federal/provincial/territorial positions do not include Quebec. [ Top ] |