Library of Parliament Article on Federal Legislation Affecting People with Disabilities

The Library of Parliament has published an article in its HillNotes blog entitled Federal Legislation affecting People with Disabilities: Where We Are Today:

"The idea of overarching federal accessibility legislation has garnered attention for decades. Many voices, including a parliamentary committee, a federal task force, and advocates have called for legislative action to remove barriers to full participation and ensure the equality of people with disabilities (...)"

"Following a commitment made in Budget 2016, the federal government launched a consultation process with Canadians to 'inform the development of planned legislation that will transform how the Government of Canada addresses accessibility'. "

"Bill C-81, An Act to ensure a barrier-free Canada (short title: Accessible Canada Act), was introduced in the House of Commons on 20 June 2018 by the Honourable Kirsty Duncan, then Minister of Science and Minister of Sport and Persons with Disabilities. Among other aspects, as indicated by its title, Bill C-81 would enact the Accessible Canada Act, with the stated objective of enhancing the 'full and equal' participation of all Canadians, especially persons with disabilities, in society. "

"The introduction of federal accessibility legislation is expected to benefit not only people with disabilities but also their caregivers. In a society where approximately 6.2 million Canadians aged 15 years or older have reported living with disabilities that limited their daily activities, any legislative reform is likely to have a major impact from coast to coast to coast."