For Immediate Release

12 February 2014

With Action Plan 2014, the Conservative Government continued to address the employment barriers of people with disabilities, particularly people with developmental disabilities – a long overlooked pool of potential workers.  Significant is the fact that the Conservative Government will be providing $15 million over three years to the Canadian Association for Community Living (CACL) for their Ready, Willing and Able initiative, an important new jobs strategy. 

"I applaud both the Government of Canada and CACL on this initiative which will see more people with developmental disabilities join the ranks of the employed, which is where they should be.  Increasing the diversity of Canada's workforce will benefit both employers and employees through the addition of new talents," stated Tony Dolan, Chairperson of the Council of Canadians with Disabilities (CCD).  In addition, $11.4 million over four years will be invested in vocational training for people with Autism Spectrum Disorder.  "Job seekers with disabilities were one of the winners in yesterday's budget and this win is long overdue.  CCD commends Finance Minister Flaherty for committing funding to make employment more accessible to and inclusive of people with developmental disabilities."

CCD also commends the Government of Canada for its ongoing work to make the Registered Disability Savings Plan (RDSP) accessible and inclusive.  For example, with this Budget, the Government announced its intentions to work with banks on low cost bank accounts for beneficiaries of the RDSP.  CCD will be watching to see how government and financial institutions remove other barriers in the RDSP.

The Budget also delivered a tax break for Canadians with disabilities.  There will be a GST/HST exemption on training that helps an individual cope with his or her disability.

These are important steps forward on the journey toward a fully accessible and inclusive Canada.  CCD commends the Government of Canada for progress to date, and looks forward to working in partnership with the Government of Canada on those barriers, which are very well known in the disability community - poverty, inaccessibility, and lack of disability-related supports.

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For More Information Contact:

Laurie Beachell, CCD National Coordinator
Tel: 204-947-0303

Tony Dolan, CCD Chairperson
Tel:  902-569-2817