Support for Disability Organizations Demonstrates Federal Progress on CRPD Implementation

April 9, 2019 | For Immediate Release

The Council of Canadians with Disabilities (CCD), a national organization of people with various disabilities working for an inclusive and accessible Canada, applauds the April 5th announcement by the Hon. Carla Qualtrough, Canada’s Accessibility Minister, that 28 disability organizations are receiving operational funding in support of their work on social inclusion.  “The funding announced today will enhance the capacity of these organizations to work collaboratively with other sectors of society to change Canada’s culture concerning disability,” states Pat Danforth, 1st Vice Chair of CCD.  “The awarding of this funding acknowledges the important role that people with disabilities and their organizations play in making Canada accessible and inclusive and we look forward to the positive change that will be brought about by these groups through their important work.”

“The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) calls upon countries to work with the representative organizations of people with disabilities on the implementation of the CRPD.  The announcement of operational funding shows progress on the part of the federal government in meeting this core CRPD obligation.  With this new funding more organizations will have increased capacity to work with governments in support of economic and social inclusion of Canadians with disabilities,” states Steven Estey, CCD Government and Community Relations Officer. 

The federal government is also addressing disability through programmatic and legislative initiatives. While making the announcement in Winnipeg, Minister Qualtrough noted that Federal Budget 2019 included 150 references to disability, which further demonstrates that the Federal Government’s commitment to improving the situation of Canadians with disabilities.  “As someone who has been reviewing federal budgets for some years now, I remember budgets that would not include a reference to disability,” states April D’Aubin, CCD Research Analyst.  The federal government’s Bill C-81, the Accessible Canada Act, is now at the Senate, and next week representatives from the disability community, including CCD’s Government and Community Relations Officer Steven Estey, will be appearing before the Standing Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology, during its study of the Bill.

“When you take into consideration Canada’s recent accession to the Optional Protocol of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), Bill C-81, significant funding for disability organizations and other programmatic initiatives, its clear that Canada is beginning to take seriously its responsibilities concerning the implementation of the human rights set out so clearly in the CRPD and we commend them for this,” states Mr. Estey.  “We look forward to working with our colleagues in government and in the disability community to advance measures toward the full realization of the Rights elaborated by CRPD for Canadians with Disabilities.”

For More Information Contact:
Pat Danforth, CCD 1st Vice Chair – Tel: 250 383-4443, Cell: 250 896-8545, Email: pidanforth@shaw.ca.
Steven Estey, Government and Community Relations Officer – Email: steven@ccdonline.ca.
April D’Aubin, Research Analyst – Tel.: 204-947-0303, Email: april@ccdonline.ca.