Real Change: A New Plan For a Strong Middle Class (page 10)

" To eliminate systemic barriers and deliver equality of opportunity to all Canadians living with disabilities, the Government will consult with provinces, territories, municipalities and stakeholders to introduce a Canadians with Disabilities Act. This budget allocates $2 million over two years, starting in 2016–17, to support the full participation of Canadians with disabilities in this process. "

("Growing The Middle Class" Budget 2016-2017)

« The Honourable Carla Qualtrough, Minister of Sport and Persons with Disabilities today invited national not-for-profit organizations with a focus on disability to apply for funding through the 2016 Social Development Partnership Program – Disability Component (SDPP-D) call for proposals.

Under this competitive process, eligible national disability organizations are invited to submit funding proposals over a six week period until November 3, 2016 for innovative projects that identify, develop and test promising practices and tools that promote the social inclusion of people with disabilities. The practices and tools may be new or build on existing programs and services. »

(Press Release, September 22, 2016)

« Today, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) joins the Canadian Administrator of the Video Relay Service (VRS) to launch this service during an event at the Museum of History, in the National Capital Region, along with the Honourable Carla Qualtrough, Minister of Sport and Persons with Disabilities.

The launch of the VRS opens a new communications era in Canada that will simplify communications between Canadians who are Deaf, hard of hearing or speech impaired and other Canadians, and vice versa.

This made-for-Canada service enhances the ability of Canadian’s whose first language is American Sign Language (ASL) or Langue des signes québécoise (LSQ) to participate fully in Canada’s communication system, and in Canadian society more broadly. »

(Press Release, September 28, 2016)

« Over the past five months, the Government of Canada has held public sessions across Canada as part of a consultation process to inform planned federal accessibility legislation. The Honourable Carla Qualtrough, Minister of Sport and Persons with Disabilities, is leading discussions on the barriers to accessibility that Canadians face in their daily lives. Since the launch of the consultations, Minister Qualtrough has received feedback from Canadians and stakeholders through thousands of online submissions and in-person sessions in 17 cities, touching every province and territory. The Government of Canada has also held roundtable discussions with stakeholders across the country, and has engaged with more than 100 stakeholder organizations that are running or participating in complementary consultation activities. »

(Press release, February 7, 2017)

Rights of people with disabilities

"Today Canada’s disability community welcomes the tabling of the federal accessibility legislation, by Minister of Sport and Persons with Disabilities, the Hon. Kirsty Duncan."

Accessibility Legislation a Way for Canada to Realize Its International Human Rights Commitments