TORONTO -- Federal party leaders arenāt listening enough to the concerns of disabled Canadians, advocates say. They say key priorities missing from campaign pledges include equitable emergency relief, stronger housing, and workplace polices that address all types of disabilities.
Sarah Jama, co-founder of the Disability Justice Network of Ontario, said this lack of scope boils down to a ālack of understanding of what systemic ableism looks like.ā
āNothing is prioritized by the government unless thereās people campaigning behind it,ā she told CTVNews.ca in a phone interview.
She said this could be partially addressed by having more disabled candidates running for office or being key parts of campaign decision-making. Jama said people in power donāt always make appreciate just how many Canadians have some form of a disability.
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Disabled people make up approximately . And between and of people with disabilities have disabilities which arenāt immediately apparent, such as deafness, blindness or autism.
One of the biggest issues that Jama says hasnāt received enough attention during this campaign is overhauling care for vulnerable people who currently receive care at home or live in long-term care homes.
Jama said she likes the NDPās platform commitments to end the private long-term care home system, but wants to see the next government go even beyond that.
āWe need to reimagine what long-term care looks like in Canada,ā she said. She said she wishes party leaders put forth policies that give vulnerable people more affordable options to receive care at home, keeping them out of long-term care facilities.
Jama also said āit's also embarrassingā that Canada doesn't yet have universal pharmacare, and that she wishes all parties agreed that it was essential, especially for people with disabilities.
Both the NDP and the Greens have advocated for a national pharmacare program that would provide prescription drug coverage for all Canadians and permanent residents. And while the Liberals have spent the past few years saying they're moving forward on pharmacare, their platform only notes existing progress on the file, including the signing of the first provincial-territorial agreement to accelerate its implementation. The Conservatives havenāt endorsed a national pharmacare plan but, in their platform, they promise to negotiate with the pharmaceutical industry to reduce drug prices.
Jama also called for more concrete provisions for disabled people during natural disasters, to ensure theyāre prioritized during evacuations.
Many disability advocates have also been critical of recent expansion of access to medical assistance in dying (MAID). They argue that instead of making it easier for disabled people to die, the government should be working to make workplaces and housing more functional for them.
Jama says she supports the parts of the Conservative platform around strengthening protections for disabled people when it comes to MAID, including reinstating the 10-day waiting period, to ensure decisions arenāt made at peopleās lowest point. No other major party references further adjustments to MAID in its platform.
ACCESIBILITY TO HOUSING, WORKPLACES TOO MUCH AN 'AFTERTHOUGHT'
Thea Kurdi, vice president of DesignABLE Environments INC, told CTVās Your Morning that the situation for disabled people is āmuch worse than non-disabled people suspect.ā
She said accessibility in housing or workplace policies is too often treated as an āafterthought,ā instead of a priority aligning with Canadaās commitments to the UN Convention of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
Kurdi said that too often, although wheelchair access is prioritized, spaces arenāt also made to be truly accessible to deaf, blind or autistic people. Making spaces accessible for visually-impaired people for example, can mean ensuring braille materials or screen-reading software are available; and, for people with hearing concerns, ensuring there are clear fonts in materials and phone or video relay services.
Jama said any partiesā affordable housing policies must address accessibility concerns but only the Greens and NDP have explicitly connected the two.
The Greens are calling for housing developments receiving federal funding to ensure that 30 per cent of all units are affordable and/or available to people with disabilities. The NDP has advocated for accessibility in housing as well.
The Liberalsā platform says only that affordable housing should keep people with disabilities in mind, while the Conservatives havenāt explicitly linked housing and accessibility in their platform.
ACCESSIBLE CANADA ACT STILL TOO WEAK: ADVOCATE
David Lepofsky, the chair of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance, said people with disabilities were left out of decision-making throughout the pandemic, including when it came to recovery programs and vaccine prioritization.
āWeāve disproportionately suffered the consequences of the pandemic, and disproportionately been left out of the proper planning for urgent needs during the pandemic,ā he told CTVās Your Morning on Wednesday. He cited the federal governmentās one-time payment took months to get to recipients.
Lepofsky also said that the Accessible Canada Act, which passed two years ago, is still far too weak because it doesnāt include enforceable regulations nor adequate compensation for victims of discrimination.
āWeāve written all the parties to ask them if they will strengthen and ,ā said Lepofsky. Only the NDP responded and pledged to make many of the commitments, he said.
Lepofsky said Liberal Party Leader Justin Trudeauā who promised ambitious implementation of the act ā and his government have been ādragging their feet.ā
As for Conservative Party Leader Erin OāToole, he hasnāt pledged to make any of the commitments put forth by Lepofskyās advocacy group -- despite the fact that during parliamentary debates in 2018, his party said it would strengthen the Accessible Canada Act, if the Liberals didnāt.
āWeāre not partisan. We want all of the party leaders to make those commitments," he said.
