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Toronto – December 1, 2014 – The annual observance of the International Day of Disabled Persons was first proclaimed in 1992, by the United Nations General Assembly. Globally it is now estimated that there are over 1 billion persons living with some form of disability. Their challenges range from physical, mental, psychological or emotional conditions and their signs of disability vary from being visible to invisible. In Canada, approximately 3.8 million adults and children — about 14% of the population — are persons with a disability.

According to a 2013 report created by the Canadian Association for Community Living, there are over two million Canadian adults with disabilities who cannot participate fully in society due to a lack of educational, workplace aids, home modifications or other supports necessary. The Harper government’s cuts to funding for agencies that service the disabled have slashed those supports even further.

And while legislation such as the Employment Equity Act, the Canadian Human Rights Act and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms address protections for persons with disabilities, the reality of living with a disability makes an individual further at risk of living below the poverty line, and exclusion from entering the workforce because attitudinal barriers to accessibility still exist.       

A person’s dignity and opportunity should never be compromised due to their disability.

On December 3, let us renew our commitment to addressing workplace barriers for people with disabilities. As Canada’s leading union we know that the accessibility issue is about much more than wheelchair signs and automatic doors.  It’s about changing the way employers and governments operate, and looking at disability issues as human rights issues.


In solidarity,

Paul R. Meinema
National President