AODA Alliance
Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance Update
United for a Barrier-Free Ontario for All People with Disabilities
Website: www.aodaalliance.org
Email: aodafeedback@gmail.com
Twitter: @aodaalliance
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Video Series on the History of the Development, Enactment and Implementation of the Accessible Canada Act, Canada’s National Accessibility Legislation
February 9, 2026
Summary
What is the Accessible Canada Act that Canada’s Parliament enacted in 2019/ Where did it come from? What was it meant to achieve? How is it working? Here is a series of online videos that answer these questions, through lectures, Parliamentary presentations, an online expert policy conference and a sample of media coverage.
This is one of the growing list of video series that you can find on the AODA Alliance website’s videos page. Taken together, the many videos that the AODA Alliance has included in its total collection have secured over 100,000 views.
The Accessible Canada Act traces its origin back to the successful battle by people with disabilities in 1980 to 1981 to win an amendment to the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms to add equality rights for people with disabilities to its new constitutional protections. This video series addresses that earlier battle, and then the efforts from 2015 to the present to get the Accessible Canada Act enacted and thereafter, effectively implemented.
Below, you will first find a quick guide to the video series. It lists the titles of all the videos. Next, we give you a detailed video-by-video guide. For each video, we give you the title, a description of it, the link to the video, and a list of helpful resources for those who would like more information about it.
You can enjoy and use these videos, whether or not you are in Ontario or even in Canada, and whether or not you know much about disability issues.
These videos will interest you if:
- You want to learn about disability rights, disability advocacy or the history of our disability rights movement.
- You want to advocate on disability rights, or on the rights of people with disabilities, and want to see this advocacy in action, to learn how it is done.
- You are a lawyer, law student, or future lawyer or law student, or anyone else who wants to learn about disability rights legal issues.
- You work in the field of disability accessibility.
- You work at a disability community organization of any sort.
- You are involved in social justice work, and want your efforts to fully include people with disabilities as an equality-seeking group.
- You teach education, psychology, law, politics, public or social policy, disability issues, human rights and discrimination, social justice, social work, history, or political science.
Some of our videos have been used in schools, and in college and university courses. We invite anyone teaching in schools, colleges or universities to use all or part of these videos, in courses you teach. If you are looking for added reading materials for a lesson, check out the related resources we identify for each video.
How You Can Help
We encourage you to:
- Watch any of these videos that may interest you and encourage others to do so.
- Circulate this list of our video series to any organization, politician, or media that you think would benefit from them. Encourage teachers and professors to use them in courses.
- Send us your feedback. We always like to hear what people have to say, and how they use resources like these. Write us at aodafeedback@gmail.com
These videos are just part of the much larger collection of online videos in which we have been involved, and which, in combination have been viewed over 100,000 times as of late 2022. Look for them, for additions to this transportation video series, and for future video series as we release them, by visiting the AODA Alliance website’s videos page.
Learn more about our campaign for a barrier-free and accessible public transit system by visiting the AODA Alliance website’s transportation page.
Quick Guide
Detailed Guide
Lectures
Video 1) Title: A Personal Retrospective on the 1980-82 Advocacy to Amend the Canadian Charter of Rights to Protect Disability Equality
Link to video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XrYzAAKXOrc&list=PLDGgB77j2ZYrl_rtpe32nSjOXfrDAGvnn&feature=share&index=1
Description: In this January 22, 2014 guest-lecture in Prof. Richard Haigh’s State and Citizen course at Osgoode Hall Law School, disability rights activist David Lepofsky recounts his volunteer advocacy efforts in 1980-82, as one of many who successfully campaigned to get Section 15 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms amended to protect disability equality. He was one of many who successfully fought to win the disability amendment to section 15 of the Charter of Rights. This captioned lecture gives his personal recollections of his own involvement in that campaign.
Video 2) Title: What should Canada’s promised national accessibility legislation include?
Link to video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IzUKVs28T8U
Description: A lecture by AODA Alliance chair and Osgoode Hall Law School visiting professor David Lepofsky on what should be included in the new national accessibility legislation which Canada’s federal government has promised to introduce. Learning from the experience with detailed disability legislation in Ontario and in other jurisdictions, a framework is outlined which formed the basis for the campaign over the following months after this lecture, when the Accessible Canada Act made its way through Canada’s Parliament.
Related resources:
- David Lepofsky’s memoir: “Swimming Up Niagara Falls! The Battle to Get Disability Rights Added to the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms” Available online for free download at HYPERLINK https://www.aodaalliance.org/publicationsaodaalliance.org/publications in pdf, MS Word, e-pub formats and as a free audio book, or for purchase as a hard copy book from Amazon or as a Kindle
- AODA Alliance website’s Canada page, which details advocacy efforts on the Accessible Canada Act.
- Discussion Paper on what the law should include, published in the National Journal of Constitutional Law
- Episodes 10 and 11 of “Disability Rights and Wrongs — The David Lepodcast” to be published, available on many podcast platforms such as Apple Music and Spotify. In these episodes, podcast host David Lepofsky interviews Yvonne Peters about her advocacy efforts in 1980 to 1982 in support of a disability amendment to the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
- AODA Alliance brief to the Parliament of Canada requesting amendments to Bill C-81, the proposed Bill C-81 (September 27, 2018)
- AODA Alliance’s brief to the Senate on proposed amendments to Bill C-81 (March 29, 2019)
- AODA alliance supplemental brief to senate standing committee on Bill C-81
- Open letter (October 2018) to the House of Commons
- Open letter (May 2019) to the Federal Government on passing the Senate’s amendments to Bill C-81
- AODA Alliance’s presentation on Bill C-81 to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities (October 25, 2018)
- AODA Alliance’s presentation on Bill C-81 to the Senate Standing Committee on Social Affairs (April 11, 2019)
- Bill C-81 as introduced at first reading on June 20, 2018
- Bill C-81 as passed by the House of Commons on November 27, 2018
- Final version of Bill C-81 (June 21, 2019) as passed by the Senate and then ratified by the House of Commons
- Briefs submitted to the House of Commons on Bill C-81 by various organizations
Video 3) Title: 2018-2019 Campaign to get Canada’s parliament to Pass a Strong Accessible Canada Act
Link to video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMdC0wi5FlM
Description: Lecture by AODA Alliance Chair David Lepofsky and Osgoode Hall Law School visiting professor David Lepofsky (AODA Alliance chair and Osgoode Hall visiting professor) on the grassroots disability activism campaign when Bill C-81 (the Accessible Canada Act) was before parliament, to get this bill strengthened. Sequel to his lecture on what Canada’s national accessibility legislation needs to include. He discusses what was sought, what was gained, and the strategies used. Note: This lecture can be viewed alone, or can be used as a sequel to this video.
Related resources:
- AODA Alliance website’s Canada page, which details advocacy efforts on the Accessible Canada Act.
- Discussion Paper on what the law should include, published in the National Journal of Constitutional Law AODA Alliance’s brief to the House of Commons on Bill C-81 (September 27, 2018)
- AODA Alliance brief to the Parliament of Canada requesting amendments to Bill C-81, the proposed Bill C-81 (September 27, 2018)
- AODA Alliance’s brief to the Senate on proposed amendments to Bill C-81 (March 29, 2019)
- AODA alliance supplemental brief to senate standing committee on Bill C-81
- Open letter (October 2018) to the House of Commons
- Open letter (May 2019) to the Federal Government on passing the Senate’s amendments to Bill C-81
- AODA Alliance’s presentation on Bill C-81 to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities (October 25, 2018)
- AODA Alliance’s presentation on Bill C-81 to the Senate Standing Committee on Social Affairs (April 11, 2019)
- Bill C-81 as introduced at first reading on June 20, 2018
- Bill C-81 as passed by the House of Commons on November 27, 2018
- Final version of Bill C-81 (June 21, 2019) C-81 as passed by the Senate and then ratified by the House of Commons
- Briefs submitted to the House of Commons on Bill C-81 by various organizations
- AODA Alliance’s call for Parliament to pass a new bill to strengthen the ACA (November 18, 2019)
Parliamentary Hearings, Public Forums and Media Coverage
Video 4) Title: Dec 12 1980 David Lepofsky at Parliamentary Committee on Constitution of Canada
Link to video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hBdYFUtAslc
Description: December 12 1980 presentation by David Lepofsky on behalf of the Canadian National Institute for the Blind to the Joint Special Committee of the Senate and House of Commons on the Constitution of Canada on the need to include disability equality in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms This recording makes David Lepofsky’s voice sound higher pitch than it actually was at the time. 😉 (Smile!) Background on this presentation at www.odacommittee.net/ODA_Bill_125_news21.html.
Related resources:
- David Lepofsky’s memoir: “Swimming Up Niagara Falls! The Battle to Get Disability Rights Added to the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms” Available online for free download at HYPERLINK https://www.aodaalliance.org/publicationsaodaalliance.org/publications in pdf, MS Word, e-pub formats and as a free audio book, or for purchase as a hard copy book from Amazon or as a Kindle
- Transcript of the three disability organizations’ presentationsin the 1980 fall to the Joint Committee calling for the Charter disability amendment.
- Captioned video of the December 12, 1980 presentation by David Lepofsky to the Joint Committee, on behalf of the Canadian National Institute for the Blind. He is now chair of the AODA Alliance.
- Transcript of the initial refusal on January 12, 1981 by federal Justice Minister Jean Chretien to agree to the disability amendment, which he announced during his appearance before the Joint committee – a decision the Federal Government reversed forty years ago today.
- Online captioned lecture at the Osgoode Hall Law School by AODA Alliance Chair David Lepofsky on the history of the campaign for the Charter disability amendment.
- Episodes 10 and 11 of “Disability Rights and Wrongs — The David Lepodcast” to be published, available on many podcast platforms such as Apple Music and Spotify. In these episodes, podcast host David Lepofsky interviews Yvonne Peters about her advocacy efforts in 1980 to 1982 in support of a disability amendment to the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
Video 5) Title: David Lepofsky January 29, 1981 Interview on CBC Radio This Country in the Morning re Disability Amendment to Charter of Rights
Link to video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PnqNpeGhWP0
Description: This captioned radio interview (audio only) took place on the morning after the Joint Committee of the Senate and the House of Commons on the Constitution of Canada held its historic vote to amend the proposed Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms to add the constitutional right to equality for people with disabilities to section 15 of the Charter of Rights. In this interview, David Lepofsky, then age 23 and a law student finishing his Ontario Bar exams, spoke on CBC National Radio’s “This Country in the Morning” program with host Don Herron. They discussed the historic importance of that vote, and the long term expectations for people with disabilities. Introduction to this recording by David Lepofsky in late December, 2020, 40 years later.
Related resources:
- David Lepofsky’s memoir: “Swimming Up Niagara Falls! The Battle to Get Disability Rights Added to the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms” Available online for free download at HYPERLINK https://www.aodaalliance.org/publicationsaodaalliance.org/publications in pdf, MS Word, e-pub formats and as a free audio book, or for purchase as a hard copy book from Amazon or as a Kindle
- Fight to Amend Canadian Charter of Rights to Protect Disability Equality at this link.
- December 12, 1980: David Lepofsky at Parliamentary Committee on Constitution of Canada at this link.
- What Did Disability Advocates Tell Canada’s Parliament 40 Years Ago This Fall to Help Win an Historic Amendment to the Charter of Rights to Protect Equality for People with Disabilities? AODA Alliance Update December 2020, at this link.
- Episodes 10 and 11 of “Disability Rights and Wrongs — The David Lepodcast” to be published, available on many podcast platforms such as Apple Music and Spotify. In these episodes, podcast host David Lepofsky interviews Yvonne Peters about her advocacy efforts in 1980 to 1982 in support of a disability amendment to the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
Video 6) Title: David Lepofsky November 26, 1981 Interview on CBC Radio This Country in the Morning re Disability Amendment to Charter of Rights
Link to video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rcn6mZcJeLc (Audio only)
Description: Canada was debating whether to add a provision to the proposed new constitutional Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, the “notwithstanding clause”, that would allow Parliament and Legislatures to override some of the new constitutional rights set out in the Charter of Rights. In this captioned interview (audio only), David Lepofsky (then 24 years old, a first-year lawyer studying for his Masters of Law at the Harvard Law School) was interviewed on CBC national radio’s “This Country in the Morning” program by host Peter Gzowski. They discussed objections from the disability perspective to the proposed notwithstanding clause being applicable to the Charter’s provision guaranteeing equality rights.
Related resources:
- David Lepofsky’s memoir: “Swimming Up Niagara Falls! The Battle to Get Disability Rights Added to the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms” Available online for free download at HYPERLINK https://www.aodaalliance.org/publicationsaodaalliance.org/publications in pdf, MS Word, e-pub formats and as a free audio book, or for purchase as a hard copy book from Amazon or as a Kindle
- Fight to Amend Canadian Charter of Rights to Protect Disability Equality at this link.
- December 12, 1980: David Lepofsky at Parliamentary Committee on Constitution of Canada at this link.
- What Did Disability Advocates Tell Canada’s Parliament 40 Years Ago This Fall to Help Win an Historic Amendment to the Charter of Rights to Protect Equality for People with Disabilities? AODA Alliance Update December 2020, at this link.
- Episodes 10 and 11 of “Disability Rights and Wrongs — The David Lepodcast” to be published, available on many podcast platforms such as Apple Music and Spotify. In these episodes, podcast host David Lepofsky interviews Yvonne Peters about her advocacy efforts in 1980 to 1982 in support of a disability amendment to the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
Video 7) Title: What Should Canada’s Promised National Accessibility Law Include? – A Policy Experts’ Conference August 22, 2017
Link to video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94PEEbhI4TU
Description: In the 2015 Canadian federal election, Canada’s Liberal Party promised to enact a national accessibility law. On August 22, 2017, the Alliance for an Accessible and Inclusive Canada held a 3-hour online virtual conference of policy experts, on what the promised national accessibility law should include. This conference was moderated and its contents were organized by David Lepofsky. This conference is meant to be useful for anyone designing or advocating for an accessibility law’s enactment or improvement, whether it is national or provincial, anywhere in the world. Taking part in the audience and at times, at the table, was Canada’s first Minister for People with Disabilities, the honourable Carla Qualtrough, then responsible for developing Canada’s promised national accessibility law. Speaking at this conference were policy experts from Canada, the U.S. Israel and Switzerland. You can hear, from example, from the former cabinet ministers who led the enactment of Ontario’s 2005 accessibility law and Manitoba’s 2013 accessibility law, from the two experts whom the Ontario Government appointed to conduct independent reviews of the implementation of Ontario’s accessibility law, from the director of the U.S. Access Board and the former director of the Office of Disability Rights at the US Justice Department, from an Israeli Department of Justice official involved in enforcement of Israel’s accessibility law, and from the lawyer who wrote Israel’s Customer Service Accessibility Regulation. During the first few minutes of this conference, David Lepofsky’s voice is a bit over-modulated, but still understandable. It clears up shortly afterwards for the rest of the conference. The other speakers are all clear throughout and the video includes captioning and ASL interpretation.
Related resources:
- The ‘AODA Alliances revised Discussion Paper on what Canada’s promised national accessibility law should include, written by David Lepofsky, to be published in the National Journal of Constitutional Law, available on request by emailing aodafeedback@gmail.com.
- The Government of Canada’s May 2017 report on the results of its public consultation on what the promised national accessibility law should include (available at this link) and the June 13, 2017 AODA Alliance analysis of the Federal Government’s consultation report (available at this link).
Video 8) Title: AODA Alliance Chair Presents to Federal Government’s February 8, 2017 Consultation on Forthcoming National Accessibility Legislation
Link to video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3d4S7h3TYbo (Audio only)
Description: In the 2015 federal election, the federal Liberal Party promised to enact national accessibility legislation. In the winter and spring of 2017, the Federal Government held a public consultation on what that legislation should include. At the February 8, 2017 Toronto public consultation session (captioned), AODA Alliance Chair David Lepofsky made this presentation to that public forum.
Related resources:
- AODA Alliance website’s education web page, at this link.
- Joint OAC AODA Alliance January 30, 2019 news release on AODA Alliance website, at this link.
- July 23, 2020 AODA Alliance report on the power of school principals to refuse to admit students to school (on AODA Alliance website, at this link).
- July 24, 2020 report of the COVID-19 subcommittee of the K-12 Education Standards Development Committee on school-reopening during the COVID-19pandemic, on the AODA Alliance website, at this link.
- MS Word format the AODA Alliance’s June 18, 2020 finalized brief to the Ontario Government on what needs to be done to meet the needs of students with disabilities during the transition to school re-opening, at this link.
- May 4, 2020: Virtual Townhall on Students with Disabilities During COVID, at this link.
Video 9) Title: AODA Alliance Presents to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Bill C-81, the Proposed Accessible Canada Act
Link to video: https://youtu.be/T_nkPeSUPHg
Description: AODA Alliance Chair David Lepofsky’s 11-minute presentation to the Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities on Bill C-81, the proposed Accessible Canada Act, then before the Committee for public hearings. Two other organizations presented at the same time and then were open to questions from the Members of Parliament on that Standing Committee. Video of the entire 2 hours is available at this link.
Related resources:
- Transcript of the October 25, 2018 meeting of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities
- AODA Alliance news release on its presentation to the House of Commons Standing Committee to Propose Amendments to Bill C-81 (October 3, 2018)
- AODA Alliance website’s Canada page, which details advocacy efforts on the Accessible Canada Act.
- Discussion Paper on what the law should include, published in the National Journal of Constitutional Law
- AODA Alliance brief to the Parliament of Canada requesting amendments to Bill C-81, the proposed Bill C-81 (September 27, 2018)
- AODA Alliance’s brief to the Senate on proposed amendments to Bill C-81 (March 29, 2019)
- AODA alliance supplemental brief to senate standing committee on Bill C-81
- Open letter (October 2018) to the House of Commons
- Open letter (May 2019) to the Federal Government on passing the Senate’s amendments to Bill C-81
- AODA Alliance’s presentation on Bill C-81 to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities (October 25, 2018)
- Transcript of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities (October 25, 2018)
- AODA Alliance’s presentation on Bill C-81 to the Senate Standing Committee on Social Affairs (April 11, 2019)
- Bill C-81 as introduced at first reading on June 20, 2018
- Bill C-81 as passed by the House of Commons on November 27, 2018
- Final version of Bill C-81 (June 21, 2019) C-81 as passed by the Senate and then ratified by the House of Commons
- Briefs submitted to the House of Commons on Bill C-81 by various organizations
- AODA Alliance’s call for Parliament to pass a new bill to strengthen the ACA (November 18, 2019)
- For a contrast, see the video of David Lepofsky’s December 12, 1980 presentation to the Joint Committee of the Senate and House of Commons on the Constitution of Canada, which is referred to 38 years later in this presentation to the House of Commons, available at this link.
Video 10) Title: AODA Alliance Opening Presentation to the Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science, and Technology regarding Bill C-81, the proposed Accessible Canada Act
Link to video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FERCAljHbrw&feature=em-uploademail
Description: Opening presentation by Osgoode Hall Law School visiting professor and AODA Alliance Chair David Lepofsky on April 11, 2019 to the Standing Committee of the Senate of Canada regarding Bill C-81, the proposed Accessible Canada Act. Following this opening statement, and statements by two other organizations, the Senators asked questions of the presenters, available here.
Related resources:
- AODA Alliance’s brief to the House of Commons on Bill C-81 (September 27, 2018)
- AODA Alliance’s brief to the Senate on proposed amendments to Bill C-81 (March 29, 2019)
- Open letter (October 2018) to the House of Commons
- Open letter (May 2019) to the Federal Government on passing the Senate’s amendments to Bill C-81
- AODA Alliance’s presentation on Bill C-81 to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Human
- Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities (October 25, 2018)
- Transcript of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities (October 25, 2018)
- AODA Alliance’s presentation on Bill C-81 to the Senate Standing Committee on Social Affairs (April 11, 2019)
- Bill C-81 as introduced at first reading on June 20, 2018
- Bill C-81 as passed by the House of Commons on November 27, 2018
- Final version of Bill C-81 (June 21, 2019) C-81 as passed by the Senate and then ratified by the House of Commons
- Briefs submitted to the House of Commons on Bill C-81 by various organizations
- AODA Alliance’s call for Parliament to pass a new bill to strengthen the ACA (November 18, 2019)
- For a contrast, see the video of David Lepofsky’s December 12, 1980 presentation to the Joint Committee of the Senate and House of Commons on the Constitution of Canada, which is referred to 38 years later in this presentation to the House of Commons, available at this link.
- Question and Answer between David Lepofsky and the Senate on April 11, 2020 about the need to strengthen the weak Bill C-81
Video 11) Title: AODA Alliance Chair David Lepofsky and Others’ Q&A on Bill C-81 At Senate Standing Committee
Link to video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dr0fCtB_cyw
Description: Question and answer session with Senators who sit on the Senate’s Standing Committee on April 11, 2019 regarding Bill C-81, proposed Accessible Canada Act, available here. This came right after the opening statement by AODA Alliance Chair David Lepofsky and other organizations. David Lepofsky’s opening statement is available here.
Related resources:
- AODA Alliance’s brief to the House of Commons on Bill C-81 (September 27, 2018)
- AODA Alliance’s brief to the Senate on proposed amendments to Bill C-81 (March 29, 2019)
- Open letter (October 2018) to the House of Commons
- Open letter (May 2019) to the Federal Government on passing the Senate’s amendments to Bill C-81
- AODA Alliance’s presentation on Bill C-81 to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Human
- Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities (October 25, 2018)
- Transcript of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities (October 25, 2018)
- AODA Alliance’s presentation on Bill C-81 to the Senate Standing Committee on Social Affairs (April 11, 2019)
- Bill C-81 as introduced at first reading on June 20, 2018
- Bill C-81 as passed by the House of Commons on November 27, 2018
- Final version of Bill C-81 (June 21, 2019) C-81 as passed by the Senate and then ratified by the House of Commons
- Briefs submitted to the House of Commons on Bill C-81 by various organizations
- AODA Alliance’s call for Parliament to pass a new bill to strengthen the ACA (November 18, 2019)
- For a contrast, see the video of David Lepofsky’s December 12, 1980 presentation to the Joint Committee of the Senate and House of Commons on the Constitution of Canada, which is referred to 38 years later in this presentation to the House of Commons, available at this link.
- Question and Answer between David Lepofsky and the Senate on April 11, 2020 about the need to strengthen the weak Bill C-81
Video 12) Title: CTV Your morning- Does Canada’s Accessibility Legislation Go Far Enough?
Link to video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1_iqbrqJkY&t=12s
Description: 3-minute appearance by Osgoode Hall Law School visiting professor and AODA Alliance Chair David Lepofsky on CTV national television’s morning program “Your Morning” after Bill C-81, the proposed Accessible Canada Act, had been passed by Canada’s House of Commons and before it was to be debated by Canada’s Senate. Lepofsky summarizes in three minutes why Bill C-81needed to be strengthened.
Related resources:
- AODA Alliance’s brief to the House of Commons on Bill C-81 (September 27, 2018)
- AODA Alliance’s brief to the Senate on proposed amendments to Bill C-81 (March 29, 2019)
- Open letter (October 2018) to the House of Commons
- Open letter (May 2019) to the Federal Government on passing the Senate’s amendments to Bill C-81
- AODA Alliance’s presentation on Bill C-81 to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Human
- Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities (October 25, 2018)
- Transcript of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities (October 25, 2018)
- AODA Alliance’s presentation on Bill C-81 to the Senate Standing Committee on Social Affairs (April 11, 2019)
- Bill C-81 as introduced at first reading on June 20, 2018
- Bill C-81 as passed by the House of Commons on November 27, 2018
- Final version of Bill C-81 (June 21, 2019) C-81 as passed by the Senate and then ratified by the House of Commons
- Briefs submitted to the House of Commons on Bill C-81 by various organizations
- AODA Alliance’s call for Parliament to pass a new bill to strengthen the ACA (November 18, 2019)
- For a contrast, see the video of David Lepofsky’s December 12, 1980 presentation to the Joint Committee of the Senate and House of Commons on the Constitution of Canada, which is referred to 38 years later in this presentation to the House of Commons, available at this link.
- Question and Answer between David Lepofsky and the Senate on April 11, 2020 about the need to strengthen the weak Bill C-81
Video 13) Title: March 19, 2024 – Testimony by AODA Alliance Chair on Horrific Barriers Experienced by Air Passengers with Disabilities
Link to Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T5EV5zJTDDI
Description: In the first quarter of 2024, the House of Commons Standing Committee on Transport, Infrastructure and Communities held hearings on what the Federal Government must do to ensure that Canadian airlines stop their recurring serious mistreatment of air passengers with disabilities. At its March 19, 2024, hearings in Ottawa, the Standing Committee invited experts to testify, including AODA Alliance Chair David Lepofsky. This video includes his opening statement, and the question and answer exchanges that Members of Parliament on the Standing Committee had with David Lepofsky.
Related resources:
- The AODA Alliance’s March 19, 2024 news release.
- The AODA Alliances March 18, 2024 brief to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Transport.
- The AODA Alliance’s November 9, 2023 response to limited measures that Air Canada announced in the fall of 2023 to address recurring mistreatment of passengers with disabilities.
- The March 19, 2024 report in the Canadian Press.
- 2024 Final Report of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Transport, Infrastructure and Communities.
- The AODA Alliance website’s Canada page and transportation page.
Video 14) Title: AODA Alliance Chair David Lepofsky’s October 1, 2024 House of Commons testimony Accessible Canada Act 5-year review
Link to Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_F9X28Oz6c8
Description: Opening remarks and answers to MPs’ questions by AODA Alliance Chair David Lepofsky during his October 1, 2024 testimony at the House of Commons of Canada Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities. Parliament was conducting its mandatory 5-year review of the Accessible Canada Act.
Related resources:
- September 29, 2024 AODA Alliance brief to the House of Commons for its 5-year review of the Accessible Canada Act.
- The AODA Alliance’s October 1, 2024 news release.
- Text of the Accessible Canada Act.
- Discussion Paper on what the Accessible Canada Act should include, published in the National Journal of Constitutional Law
- AODA Alliance brief to the Parliament of Canada requesting amendments to Bill C-81, the proposed Bill C-81 (September 27, 2018)
- AODA Alliance’s brief to the Senate on proposed amendments to Bill C-81 (March 29, 2019)
- AODA Alliance supplemental brief to Senate Standing Committee on Bill C-81
- AODA Alliance’s presentation on Bill C-81 to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities (October 25, 2018)
- AODA Alliance’s presentation on Bill C-81 to the Senate Standing Committee on Social Affairs (April 11, 2019)
- AODA Alliance website’s Canada page, which details key advocacy efforts since 2015 on the Accessible Canada Act.