Letter to Minister of Employment and Social Development

October 30, 2013

Hon. Jason Kenney
Minister of Employment and Social Development
House of Commons
Ottawa Ontario

Mr. Minister:
CCD is pleased to learn of your November 8th meeting with Provincial/Territorial Ministers responsible for employment and labour market training.   CCD was also pleased to see in the Throne Speech  a commitment to the transformation of the Labour Market Agreement for Persons with Disabilities (LMAPD).   I am writing to share with you the perspective of CCD and of its provincial/ territorial member groups on “A New Approach” to addressing the labour market needs of Canadians with disabilities.

Attached you will find our document that calls for a “ New Approach” and identifies a number of priorities and steps that we believe should be taken to make Canada’s labour force more inclusive and accessible. We are sharing this message with your provincial and territorial counterparts through our member group network.  We have also attached a Fact Sheet on Employment and Persons with Disabilities as background. 

CCD would be pleased to meet with you at any time to discuss this in greater detail and hope that the issues identified will be a part of the November 8th agenda.  Together we can and must improve the labour market participation of Canadians with disabilities. 

Sincerely

Tony Dolan
National Chairperson

Supported by:
BC Coalition of Persons with Disabilities
Alberta Committee of Citizens with Disabilities
Saskatchewan Voice of People with Disabilities
Manitoba League of Persons with Disabilities
Citizens with Disabilities- Ontario
Nova Scotia League for Equal Opportunity
PEI Council of the Disabled
Coalition of Persons with Disabilities Newfoundland and Labrador
NWT Council of Persons with Disabilities
Canadian Association of the Deaf
National Network for Mental Health
Thalidomide Victims of Canada
People First of Canada