Prime Minister’s statement on the occasion of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau today issued the following statement on the International Day of Persons with Disabilities:

“Today, in this International Day of Persons with DisabilitiesWe join people across Canada and around the world to celebrate the contributions of people with disabilities. From our families and friends to our neighbors and colleagues, millions of Canadians have a disability. En ce jour, nous nous engages on continue de travailler pour identifier, eliminer et prévenir les obstacles auxquels font face les personnes en situation de handicap, et à augmenter les possibilités qui leur sont offertes afin de bâtir, et un accessible cl plus if justus For everyone.

“The Government of Canada remains committed to doing all it can to support people with disabilities. With the adoption of Canada Disability ActThe Government will continue to work towards achieving the vision of an accessible Canada. We also work with provinces and territories, as well as with partners and communities of people with disabilities and people with disabilities, to improve accessibility and promote inclusion for all in Canada.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted some of the long-standing barriers that Canadians with disabilities have faced for decades. Since the beginning of the pandemic, we have taken important measures to help remove barriers and promote inclusion. In the spirit of Nothing Without Us, we have created COVID-19 Disability Advisory Group Advise the government on how to apply a disability-focused perspective in its emergency measures to ensure that the real experiences of Canadians with disabilities are taken into account. We’ve made an unprecedented investment in jobs thanks to Opportunities Fund for People with Disabilities And within a frame access box To improve accessibility in communities and workplaces.

“There is still a lot of work to do in the future. This includes implementing an ambitious Disability Inclusion Action Plan that details the concrete measures the government will take to improve the lives of Canadians with disabilities. The plan will be developed after consultation and engagement with the disability community, and will focus on Key areas including financial security, employment, inclusive spaces and adoption of a modern approach Disability in government programs and services Central to this plan will be the design and implementation of the Canada Disability Benefit, which will solve the long-term financial difficulties faced by people with disabilities and create a more inclusive economy and society for those persons.

“This year’s theme is ‘Leadership and Engagement of Persons with Disabilities to Build an Inclusive and Sustainable World Post COVID-19.’ As we build back better after the pandemic, this theme encourages us to work together and ensure that the perspectives of people with disabilities are taken into account when developing and implement strategies to protect and promote human rights, in order to achieve The United Nations 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals.

Internationally, Canada works to protect and promote the rights of people with disabilities in order to help build a more peaceful, inclusive and prosperous world for all. Canada signed Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities The United Nations acceded to the Optional Protocol and tasked the Canadian Human Rights Commission with monitoring the government’s implementation of the Convention. We have also announced a Canadian candidacy for membership in the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in the 2022 elections. We will continue to work closely with our partners, particularly in the framework of Global Action Network on Disability, to address the unique challenges faced by persons with disabilities around the world and to ensure their inclusion and full participation in society. Canada is proud to participate in the second World Disability Summit, which will be jointly organized by the governments of Norway and Ghana and the International Disability Alliance in 2022, to ensure that people with disabilities can contribute and benefit from our international development and humanitarian efforts. .

“Together, we can remove and prevent access barriers and make a difference with and for people with disabilities. On behalf of the Government of Canada, I am calling on all Canadians to learn more about how we can all help build a more inclusive country and world.”