February 2024

Inclusion Matters

February 2024

Disability community leadership appears at the National Press Gallery in Ottawa.

From left to right: Heather Walkus, Chairperson of the Council of Canadians with Disabilities, Krista Carr, Executive Vice President of Inclusion Canada, Kerri Joffe, Staff Lawyer of ARCH Disability Law Centre, Bonnie Brayton, CEO of DAWN Canada, & Kurt Goddard, Executive Director of Legal and Public Affairs of Inclusion Canada.

Medical Assistance in Dying Update

With Bill C-62, legislators are currently considering a delay to the expansion of MAiD to people whose sole underlying condition is mental illness. The proposed 3-year delay is the government's position to allow for more time "for the healthcare system to be ready".

While it is encouraging to see MAiD for mental illness not implemented as planned for this March, our position remains clear - NO to MAiD for mental illness. The 'system' will never be ready. People with a mental illness must be protected from any further encroachment of the MAiD regime, and the government must focus on better access to timely and quality mental health support and services.

On Friday, February 23, Inclusion Canada and Senator Marilou McPhedran hosted a press conference at the National Press Gallery. Inclusion Canada Executive Vice President, Krista Carr, and Executive Director of Legal and Public Affairs, Kurt Goddard, joined a coalition of disability organization leadership to call for a repeal of MAiD for mental illness altogether.

In the press release issued that day, we detailed our position calling for: (1) MAiD for mental illness to not proceed by repealing this provision, and (2) for government to repeal track two MAiD, which makes it available for people with disabilities not at the end of life.

Our President, Moira Wilson said it best, "It’s time to bring Canada’s MAiD laws back into alignment with disability rights. Families of people with disabilities, like mine, are terrified by track two MAiD and its potential further expansion. We want our children to be fully valued as equal citizens, supported to live good lives and be fully included in the community, not offered state-assisted suicide on the basis of “suffering” that is not inherent in their disability but rather is a result of lack of income and disability support."

Click here to read our press release. >

Read what the disability community has to say. >

C-62 in the Senate

If you haven't had the time to watch Senator Mary Lou McPhedran's speech on Bill C-62 in the Senate, we invite you to click on the video below.

She outlines very well why this bill is discriminatory and why the current MAiD regime is causing unnecessary harm and death to people with disabilities. We applaud Senator McPhedran for being our champion.

Are you are family member of someone with an intellectual disability? Has your family working with a navigator to access programs or services? Participate in our focus group!

Inclusion Canada, People First of Canada, and the University of British Columbia’s Canadian Institute for Inclusion and Citizenship are doing a research project.

We want to understand barriers to accessing federal services and programs for people with disabilities in Canada.

We also want to identify and share best practices about using navigators to help people with disabilities access services and programs.

A navigator is a person who helps you access programs and services. They can help you understand what programs and services are available. A navigator can help you make informed choices. They can help you apply for programs and services that you want. Navigators are sometimes called service coordinators or brokers.

When are the focus groups?

Wednesday, March 13, 6pm-7:30pm Eastern time (French group)
Thursday, March 14, 2pm-3:30pm Eastern time (English group)

How many people will be in each focus group?

We are hoping to have around 6 people per focus group.

Will the focus group online?

Yes, we will meet over Zoom. If you need accessibility accommodations to participate in the focus group, please let us know in advance: r mills@inclusioncanada.ca

Will I be paid for this work?

Yes, you will be provided a $75 honorarium for participating in the focus group. This payment can be sent by direct deposit or cheque.

What will the focus group be like?

Two facilitators will co-lead a discussion by asking questions. You will be invited to share your thoughts and experiences. You can choose to answer only the questions you are comfortable with.

Do I need to sign a consent form?

Yes. When you sign up, we will send you a consent form. This form explains how we will keep your information private. It also explains how we will store and use the information we collect. We will ask you to answer a few questions about yourself by filling out a short survey before the focus group.

How do I sign up?

If you are interested in participating or have any questions, please email Rachel at rmills@inclusioncanada.ca.

Where's the Canada Disability Benefit?

We have been working collaboratively with 30+ disability organizations on a campaign to urge the government to adequately fund the Canada Disability Benefit. The Canada Disability Benefit was passed in June 2023, but people with disabilities have not seen a dollar.

The federal budget is expected in weeks. Timing is critical.

Over the past few weeks, we and other organizations have been amplifying the message to the government to #FundTheBenefitNow and ensure that adequate funding is included in this year's federal budget.

You can help too.

Please take a moment to send your MP a letter and sign the petition.

Write your MP here. >

Sign the petition here. >

Lessons From Canada: Closing Special Schools - Inclusive Education Month Webinar

"Special schools" for children with intellectual disabilities was one of the founding mandates of what is now Inclusion Canada. But since the 1950s the effort to ensure equity and inclusion in public education has seen most special schools closed. But not all. In a number of provinces and communities, the special school model lives on, typically operated by the local public education authority.

In this webinar, Australian inclusive education researcher Dr. Glenys Mann shares the results of her team's review of the closure of "special schools" in Canada.

Watch the webinar here. >

Inclusion Canada in Action

Tara Levandier met with representatives from the Alliance of Canadian Building Officials Associations (ACBOA) to discuss the importance, impact, and need for inclusive and accessible building design and construction in Canada.

Senior staff met with the recently appointed UN Special Rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities, Dr. Heba Hagrass, to discuss Inclusion Canada’s domestic and international work related to the implementation of the CRPD.

Inclusion Canada attended the National Advisory Council on Poverty’s (NACP) engagement session titled: Enabling equity: How can poverty reduction efforts empower those made most marginal? The session was for various organizations who work on poverty reduction to come together and discuss how our communities have been excluded from poverty statistics, best practices for reaching those made most marginal, and how we can better meet the needs of people living in poverty.

Executive Directors Tara Levandier & Kurt Goddard along with Krista Carr met with the Canadian Human Rights Commission in Ottawa to discuss the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) civil society parallel report and potential areas for collaboration.

Executive Vice President Krista Carr and Executive Directors Tara Levandier & Kurt Goddard pictured with community representatives and Interim Chief Commissioner Charlotte-Anne Malischewski and Canadian Human Rights Commission staff.

Inclusion Canada staff were in Ottawa on February 23 for a press conference at the National Press Gallery. The press conference was a cross-disability call for the government to repeal the sunset clause in Bill C-62 and consider a repeal of Track Two MAiD altogether.

Inclusion Canada staff pictured at the National Press Gallery. From left to right: Krista Carr, Executive Vice President, Marc Muschler, Senior Communications Officer, Tara Levandier, Executive Director of Operations & Social Impact, Kurt Goddard, Executive Director of Legal & Public Affairs, Jeff Ferguson, Executive Director of Knowledge Mobilization and Transformation.

Access to Healthcare Position Statement is now available!

Inclusion Canada's Board of Directors has recently approved a new and updated Access to Healthcare position statement. The statement defines and guides our work and advocacy in this priority area.

We encourage you to click the link below to review the new document and learn more about the work Inclusion Canada is doing to maximize healthcare support and outcomes for people with an intellectual disability and their families.

Click here to view the position statement. >

Global Study on Education - Participants Needed!

Canadian parents are being recruited as part of a global study about the education of their child with a disability.

A one-time, online survey with questions about your experiences, perceptions, and opinions of your child's time at school is available now. Your collective voice is important!

Click here to participate. >