Today, Canada's first Chief Accessibility Officer, Stephanie Cadieux made the following statement, following the release of her third report on the outcomes being achieved under the Accessible Canada Act (ACA):
"Transportation is one of the ACA's 7 priority areas, and for good reason. While also looking at overall outcomes in other priority areas, this report places a special emphasis on the state of accessible transportation in Canada and includes four recommendations to help speed progress and address challenges on this front.
"Accessible transportation is critical for the more than 27% of the Canadian population who live with disabilities. Without it, they are excluded from participating fully in society.
"Being able to get where you need and want to go is key to quality of life, but for too many people with disabilities, reliable, accessible transportation remains unavailable, resulting in continuous anxiety and uncertainty in their day-to-day lives. If people can't even get out the door, if just getting to work safely requires extreme effort and planning around factors and barriers beyond their control, then we are missing the mark.
"A collective effort is necessary to reach our 2040 target of a barrier-free Canada. We have to work collaboratively across jurisdictions, sectors, and areas of expertise to identify, remove, and prevent obstacles in all priority areas. Nowhere is this more critical than in transportation, which by its very nature crosses jurisdictions.
"There has been considerable progress since the ACA came into effect, but we can and must do better and move faster. Breaking down barriers for people with disabilities is as relevant and urgent as it ever was, and more action is needed across the board. Our goal is to create a Canada that includes everyone. Accessibility must be a foundational and non-negotiable cultural value if we are going to succeed in making our communities, our industries, and our public institutions inclusive, resilient, innovative, and prosperous."
Quick facts
- The role of Chief Accessibility Officer (CAO) was created by the Accessible Canada Act (ACA), which came into force in 2019
- As an independent adviser to the Minister, the CAO provides advice on wide-ranging accessibility issues, monitors and report on progress made under the ACA, and provides annual reports detailing outcomes achieved under the ACA, as well as systemic and emerging accessibility issues
- The Office of the CAO serves as a trusted source of information on accessibility, and supports the CAO in promoting a positive and productive dialogue between the federal government, disability stakeholders, national and international organizations
- This report was developed with information gathered, in part, by reviewing publicly available research, meeting with federally and non-federally regulated organizations, conducting research into accessibility plans and progress reports published by federally regulated organizations, conducting informal interviews and conducting qualitative analysis
