accessibility

National AccessAbility Week: Canada’s unions call for elimination of barriers to employment, launch new handbook

28 mai 2021

Canada’s unions are marking National AccessAbility Week by calling on the federal government to remove barriers to employment and increase economic security for people with disabilities. Observed from May 30 to June 5, National AccessAbility Week is an opportunity to celebrate and advance accessibility and inclusion in our workplaces and communities.

“Everyone benefits when workplaces are accessible,” said Larry Rousseau, Executive Vice-President of the Canadian Labour Congress. “Yet too many people with disabilities are unemployed, underemployed, or face barriers to advancement at work because of stigma, discrimination, and lack of access to accommodations.”

This week, Canada’s unions are launching Doing Things Differently: A Disability Rights At Work Handbook. The handbook provides an overview of disability rights issues in Canada, with a specific focus on advancements and challenges in workplaces and in the union movement. To download a copy, click here.

The COVID-19 pandemic has hit people with disabilities hard. In a recent Statistics Canada study, one third of participants with long-term conditions or disabilities reported losing their job or reducing their hours during the pandemic. Others were not able to access income supports despite the increased costs, and had difficulties accessing food and personal protective equipment. Access to home care and other services was severely hampered, and many people with disabilities reported high levels of stress and anxiety.

Last fall, the federal government announced its intention to establish a new Disability Benefit, modeled after the Guaranteed Income Supplement available to seniors. Canada’s unions and disability rights organizations welcomed this progress toward a longstanding demand. In the recent federal budget, the government committed to holding consultations on the new benefit as well as improved access to the Disability Tax credit.

“We urge the federal government to accelerate the timeline for this new Disability Benefit,” said Rousseau. “An equitable recovery means addressing the disproportionate impact the pandemic has had on people with disabilities. The need for better income support was already well established and the pandemic only highlighted that we can’t wait any longer for this benefit. People need support now,” said Rousseau.

An accessible and inclusive Canada is one where people have the means to live in dignity. A new disability benefit, paired with efforts to improve employment security and accessibility at work, will make a real difference for many people with disabilities and their families.

  • Droits de la personne et égalité
  • La décision de la CSC est une victoire pour les travailleuses

    18 octobre 2021
    Click to open the link
  • Égalité des sexes
  • Les syndicats canadiens font écho de l’appel à la justice pour les Premières Nations, les Inuits et les Métis

    21 juin 2020
    Click to open the link
  • Commerce et affaires internationales
  • Le Canada doit offrir l’asile aux réfugiés puisque les États-Unis n’assurent pas leur sécurité

    20 juin 2018
    Click to open the link
  • Élimination de la discrimination
  • En cette saison de la Fierté, les Canadiens méritent un régime d’assurance-médicaments dont nous pouvons être fiers

    4 juin 2018
    Click to open the link
  • Égalité des sexes
  • Journée internationale contre l’homophobie, la transphobie et la biphobie : Se prononcer ensemble contre la violence et le harcèlement

    17 mai 2018
    Click to open the link
  • Égalité des sexes
  • Aidez à mettre fin à l’intimidation et au harcèlement en cette Journée internationale en rose

    11 avril 2018
    Click to open the link
  • Égalité des sexes
  • Le congé payé pour violence conjugale reçoit un appui dans le budget fédéral 2018

    12 mars 2018
    Click to open the link
  • Droits de la personne et égalité
  • Les syndicats du Canada incitent d’autres communautés à devenir des villes refuges

    15 décembre 2017
    Click to open the link
  • Droits de la personne et égalité
  • L’emploi est la préoccupation principale en cette Journée internationale des personnes handicapées

    4 décembre 2017
    Click to open the link