Act Now
Empower U: Learn to Access Your Disability Rights Training on Canadian Human Rights, the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) and its Optional Protocol (OP) training aims to increase awareness of how to address discrimination using more familiar Canadian human rights laws such as Human Rights Codes and the newer international Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). This is training for persons with disabilities by persons with disabilities. The training is part of a project funded by Employment and Social Development Canada and implemented by the Council of Canadians with Disabilities (CCD) in collaboration with Canadian Multicultural Disability Centre Inc. (CMDCI), Citizens With Disabilities – Ontario (CWDO), Manitoba League of Persons with Disabilities (MLPD) and National Educational Association of Disabled Students (NEADS). Read more.
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A monthly newsletter from CCD about what is happening in the community
Federal Elections
Every Federal Election, the Council of Canadians with Disabilities (CCD) presents disability issues to candidates and political parties. CCD challenges them to support the equality of persons with disabilities. CCD also challenges parties and candidates to run accessible campaigns so that Canadians with disabilities have the opportunity to participate in all campaign activities. In addition, CCD has worked with Elections Canada to improve the accessibility of voting in Federal elections.
Recent Work
September 17, 2021
What Are Canada's Political Parties Plans Concerning Inclusive Emergency Preparedness?
. “CCD is seeking to learn from the Federal Parties how, if elected to form the Government of Canada, they would ensure that Canada’s emergency preparedness activities contribute to the goal of a barrier-free Canada as set out in the ACA,” states Jewelles Smith, CCD Communications and Government Relations Coordinator. Read more.
September 15, 2021
CCD Seeking an Accessible and Inclusive Post-COVID-19 World: No New Barriers!
CCD is seeking commitments from all parties concerning how they plan to ensure Canada’s future spending is a driving force behind a barrier-free country. Read more.
September 13, 2021
CCD Seeks Commitments on Accessible and Affordable Housing
The Council of Canadians with Disabilities (CCD), a national non-partisan human rights organization of people with disabilities, is challenging Canada’s political parties to share detailed plans with timelines about how they propose to remedy the disability housing crisis, which is a well-known long-standing problem. “Political leadership on accessible and affordable housing in Canada is long over-due,” states Heather Walkus, CCD 1st Vice Chair. “In advance of the election, parties need to address how they plan to make decent housing a reality for Canadians with various types of disabilities. We want to see an end to people with disabilities struggling with substandard housing that does not meet their needs, couch surfing, and living on the streets.” “To be effective and inclusive, housing strategies need to be developed using an intersectional lens that is inclusive of the needs of women with disabilities, racialized people with disabilities, refugees and newcomers to Canada with disabilities and people with various types of disabilities, including those that are invisible, episodic and psycho-social in nature,” states Jewelles Smith, CCD Communications and Government Relations Coordinator. “This is something we will be looking for in all housing plans.” Read more.
More on Federal Elections
September 9, 2021
CCD Seeks from Parties Disability-Inclusive Climate Action and Emergency Preparedness Plans
September 7, 2021
CCD Seeks Parties' Position on Disability Benefit
September 3, 2021
CCD Calls for Commitments to Remedy Discrimination against Blind Voters
September 2, 2021
Leader Letters
September 1, 2021
CCD Urges Federal Election Candidates to Run Accessible Campaigns
August 27, 2021
How to Vote in the Federal Election, September 20, 2021
Marie White, a former Chairperson of CCD, addresses anti-poverty rally.