Canada Plans New Federal Accessibility Legislation
Many of the country's citizens still face barriers that affect their ability to participate in daily activities that most people take for granted, according to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government, which has launched a public consultation on the planned law.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government plans to develop new accessibility legislation to promote equal opportunity and inclusion of Canadians who have disabilities or functional limitations. Many Canadians continue to face barriers that affect their ability to participate in daily activities most people take for granted, according to the government, whether those are physical and architectural barriers; attitudes, beliefs, and misconceptions that some people may have about people with disabilities and what they can and cannot do; outdated policies and practices that do not take into account the varying abilities and disabilities that people may have.
The government has launched a consultation to get ideas from the public for the planned new law, including feedback on the overall goal and approach; whom it should cover; what accessibility issues and barriers it should address; how it could be monitored and enforced; and how to raise accessibility awareness more generally and support organizations in improving accessibility.
The consultation will be open until February 2017, and an online questionnaire is available so citizens can submit their feedback.
"We have a long road ahead, but this is a big step to ensure our communities become more accessible for all Canadians," Carla Qualtrough, minister of Sport and Persons with Disabilities, says in a video available on the consultation's online page.