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United for a Barrier-Free Ontario
October 5, 2015
SUMMARY
Below we set out a major announcement from Barrier-Free Canada.
Barrier-Free Canada/Canada Sans Barrière
www.barrierfreecanada.org
info@barrierfreecanada.org
A Non-Partisan Campaign for a Barrier-Free Canada for All Persons with Disabilities
Liberal Party Promises to Introduce Canadians with Disabilities Act – Our Efforts Now Focus on the Conservatives and Bloc Quebecois, the Only Federal parties that Haven’t Promised in This Election to Introduce This Legislation
On October 5, 2015, the Liberal Party of Canada posted on its website that it would introduce a Canadians with Disabilities Act. Its website states:
“To eliminate systemic barriers and deliver equality of opportunity to all Canadians living with disabilities, we will consult with provinces, territories, and other stakeholders to introduce a National Disabilities Act.”
Barrier-Free Canada congratulates the federal Liberal Party for making this important pledge. To see the Liberal Party of Canada’s announcement on the Canadians with Disabilities Act.
Earlier in this election campaign, the Green Party promised to support passage of the Canadians with Disabilities Act. Last week, on September 29, 2015, the New Democratic Party of Canada also promised to support passage of the Canadians with Disabilities Act. To see the NDP announcement supporting the Canadians with Disabilities Act.
The national campaign for the Canadians with Disabilities Act that Barrier-Free Canada is spearheading is yielding results. We thank everyone who has helped with this grassroots blitz.
The only two major federal parties that have not pledged in this election to support passage of the Canadians with Disabilities Act are the Conservative Party of Canada and the Bloc Quebecois. In the 2006 election, the Conservative Party of Canada promised to enact a national Disabilities Act. Since then, it has not passed one, or introduced one into Parliament for debate.
In the last two weeks before Voting Day, efforts will now concentrate on getting commitments from those two parties. Barrier-Free Canada calls on the federal Conservative Party and the Bloc Quebecois to meet or exceed the promises from the Greens, NDP and Liberals. It calls on all parties to endorse the 14 principles for a strong and effective Canadians with Disabilities Act that Barrier-Free Canada has put forward.
Barrier-Free Canada does not support or oppose any party or candidate. The goal of the non-partisan Barrier-Free Canada is to get all federal parties to pledge in this election to support passage of a strong and effective Canadians with Disabilities Act that fulfils the 14 principles for it that Barrier-Free Canada has established. To www.barrierfreecanada.org learn more about Barrier-Free Canada’s proposal for a Canadians with Disabilities Act, and its 14 principles for that law.
We encourage one and all to:
* Widely publicize this new commitment by the federal Liberal Party, and the earlier commitments by the Green Party and the NDP.
* Urge the federal Conservative and Bloc Quebecois party leaders and candidates to meet or exceed the Liberals’, NDP’s, and Greens’ commitment.
* Let your local media know about this new development.
* Re-tweet our many tweets on Twitter using the hashtag #CanadiansWithDisabilitiesAct No doubt our Twitter campaign so far has really helped secure the Party commitments we have secured so far. Indeed, in the days leading up to this Liberal Party pledge, several Liberal Party candidates individually tweeted us that they personally support the Canadians with Disabilities Act.
Our tweets will now focus on getting commitments from the parties and candidates that have not promised their support of this law in this election.
* Use a great new online tool for instantly generating and sending letters on the Canadians with Disabilities Act to the candidates in your riding. To find the new online tool for generating letters to your riding’s candidates.
* You can also watch the archived video of the September 29, 2015 Toronto All Candidates Forum on Disability Issues (which pre-dated the Liberal party’s commitment to the Canadians with Disabilities Act) Watch the September 29, 2015 Toronto All Candidates Disability Issues Forum.
Please keep up your efforts as the election campaign continues. For other great ideas on how you can help with this non-partisan campaign, check out Barrier-Free Canada’s Election Action Kit.