Council of Canadians with Disabilities (CCD)
Chairperson's Update
by Marie White
January 2004

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

CCD continues to work to ensure that people with disabilities are on the Government of Canada's agenda. CCD and CACL sent a joint letter to Prime Minister Paul encouraging inclusion of disability issues in the upcoming Throne Speech and Budget. The letter, which was sent on 21 January 2004 is as follows:

Dear Right Honorable Paul Martin:

Re: Towards a Comprehensive Disability Agenda

We write to you at a time when the upcoming Speech from the Throne, a federal budget, and a Liberal platform for the next election could make a historic difference to Canadians with disabilities. Our call is simple. We want to see an end to poverty. We want to see an end to the isolation and exclusion, and to the violence and marginalization that come with it.

"To haul down barriers that marginalize" and to advance full citizenship for Canadians with disabilities we need the comprehensive disability agenda you yourself have called for. We outline the agenda as follows:

Our goal is widely shared: End poverty, isolation and exclusion.
The objectives are clear:

• To alleviate poverty-invest in a labor market strategy, and an income support framework that promises labor force participation and assures quality of life for people with disabilities.
• To eliminate isolation and exclusion, invest in a disability supports plan to ensure individuals, families, and communities have the supports they require for full and active citizenship of people with disabilities.
• Focus the agenda on the FPT In Unison Accord's building blocks of disability supports, employment and income. We stand by the Accord.
• Deliver the agenda by investing in individuals, families, communities and the capacities of Provinces and Territories to deliver needed supports.
• Link the agenda to a broader strategy to build the foundations and architecture for the next stage of social development in Canada.
• Demonstrate international leadership for a global disability agenda for inclusion.

A comprehensive agenda will take a decade to develop and implement. It could be a stellar accomplishment in the decade of achievement you envisage for Canada.

In the short-term we believe you could build towards an agenda in the upcoming Throne Speech and budget.

• Make the Commitment ­ Your signaling a commitment to a comprehensive disability agenda that focuses on disability supports, income, and employment, in collaboration with Provinces and Territories and the disability community, is essential for the momentum now required. No one expects all the answers in the short term. But the signal must be sent and the process of engagement established.
• A Youth Disability Benefit - Invest in the transition of young people with disabilities, among the most marginalized youth in Canadian society. As Minister of Finance you led the way in using the tax system to deliver benefits for children and people with disabilities. Build on those successes to widen the scope of the child disability benefit to young people up to age 25. This would provide an important stepping stone for scoping out a disability supports and income agenda.
• Multi-lateral Framework on Employability ­ The federal and provincial/territorial governments have worked with the community to begin outlining a comprehensive labor market strategy. The new FPT Multi-lateral Framework Agreement is a good start. But we need to see an initial down payment from the federal government to breathe life into the Framework and to demonstrate to Provinces and Territories that collaborative federalism in the disability area works.
• A Communities Agenda ­ A communities agenda must include a focus on disability. We recommend funding strategic community initiatives to assist local communities in transitioning from outdated institutional models of support, and barrier-ridden communities, to communities that foster inclusive social and economic development.
• A Disability Voluntary Sector Initiative ­ To participate in a decade of development of a comprehensive agenda our community needs investment ­ to develop the information and technical assistance to national, provincial/territorial and local organizations, and to fully participate with all levels of government in policy dialogue and development. Our capacity is extremely thin, worn down by too many years of limited project funding and not enough sustained investment.

You have the vision and you have built the team to move a disability agenda forward. Your Minister of Social Development, Liza Frulla, attended a reception we hosted yesterday in her honor. She spoke with passion, commitment, and energy about the need to move a disability agenda forward as part of an overall strategy for social development and social policy renewal. We are extremely impressed with her openness and desire to engage our community and firmly believe she can take the agenda forward.

Prime Minister Martin, the agenda laid out here is large. But it is doable. We need your leadership, we need your commitment. Our country is hungry for it. Engage us and work with us. You will not be disappointed. Together we can alleviate poverty. We can end the isolation and exclusion. We can build an inclusive Canada in the 21st century.

Over the coming months, CCD, as well as CACL, will continue to follow up on the points raised in this letter.

CCD NATIONAL COUNCIL

The CCD National Council met in Winnipeg 9, 10, 11 January 2004. Jim Derksen, Chairperson of CCD's Human Rights Committee, and Yvonne Peters, Equality/Human Rights lawyer, continued the discussions begun at the June Council meeting regarding future work for CCD's Human Rights Committee. In the future CCD's Human Rights Committee will be focusing on litigation, law reform and legal education. To begin the work, CCD has contracted with Yvonne to develop a legal education piece about the litigation that CCD has undertaken over the past 20 years. The Council also developed CCD's election message and continued to work on defining a disability supports agenda. The Council struck a Committee to work on CCD's election strategy. This Committee consists of: Marie White, Linda Stiles, and Barbara Anello.

SOCIAL POLICY WORKING GROUP

On 19, 20, 21 January 2004, a round table was held in Ottawa as part of the VSI Project to prepare priorities for the upcoming second disability forum to be held in March.

On 27-28 January 2004, Laurie Beachell participated in a two-day meeting of the Technical Advisory Committee on Tax to explore improvements to the DTC and MTC.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE

In early January, Steve Estey participated in meetings at the United Nations on the proposed UN convention to protect people with disabilities.

On behalf of CCD, Mary Ennis, who is a member of the CCD International Development Committee, participated in a North American Caribbean Regional meeting. Mary Ennis has shared the following update on that meeting:

DPI NORTH AMERICA - CARIBBEAN REGIONAL MEETING AND CAPACITY BUILDING SESSIONS

National Assemblies from the North America-Caribbean Region of DPI came together in Antigua January 12-16, 2004, to exchange information on their work and the issues impacting consumers in their countries as well as to engage in capacity building. Mary Ennis attended the forum on behalf of CCD, and Steve Estey flew from New York to facilitate a full-day session on the U.N. Convention.

Day one focused on reports from each National Assembly and was followed by three days of capacity building sessions around universal design, independent living, community-based rehabilitation, education, women, children & youth, and, as mentioned previously, the U.N. Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

The final morning concentrated on the development of a Regional Strategic Plan. It was decided to focus on four areas: re-establishment of the Caribbean office, improved communications/technology, education and the U.N. Convention.

Discussion arising from the sessions prompted immediate action in a couple of areas, and before the week was over proposals for funding had been drafted to address two of the Caribbean region priorities. The first was a proposal to Caricom (Caribbean Commerce), which is funded by the Caribbean Bank to work on economic development. Physical access is virtually non-existent throughout the Caribbean; and, as tourism is the sole growth industry, it stands to reason that it will be greatly enhanced through increased accessibility. This is the tack that our Caribbean counterparts have taken in the first proposal. The second proposal focuses on securing computers and software for those groups in the region who do not currently have access to them. Like Canada, the Caribbean National Assemblies of DPI lack sufficient funds to come together like this more often. Thus this effort to improve communications within our region overall is sorely needed.

All in all, the week was an excellent opportunity to make connections, share information, learn from one another and mobilize the community. CCD's commitment at the end of the week was to share as much information as possible with our colleagues in other parts of the region. Too, CCD and DPI's U.S. National Assembly have committed to the development of a bibliography on women's issues to share with the Regional Women's Committee.

Mary Mitchell, Chairperson of the North America - Caribbean Region of DPI, did a great job of chairing the event and keeping us on schedule, and Regional Executive members were extremely supportive of participants. Our thanks to all of them, and to all who participated.

The meeting was sponsored by the Abilis Foundation, Disabled Peoples' International, and the Antigua & Barbuda Association of Persons with Disabilities, and further supported by the Antigua & Barbuda Girl Guides Association, the Antigua Barbuda Defense Force, the country's Ministry of Health & Social Improvement, its Ministry of Planning, and Antigua Computer Technology.

DPI WORLD SUMMIT

On 28 January 2004, Laurie Beachell spoke at a kick-off event for the upcoming DPI World Summit, to be held from September 8- 10, 2004 in Winnipeg. The DPI World Summit will be an opportunity for 135 national assemblies, disability organizations, NGOs, international development agencies, as well as goods and service providers in the disability field to discuss and share information. The purpose of the Summit is to pursue the issues agreed upon at the DPI 6th World Assembly in Sapporo, Japan, to address the issue of diversity, and to prepare for the next World Assembly in South Africa in 2006. The themes for the Summit will be diversity of people and their cultures and will focus on women, youth and Indigenous/Arab peoples. There will be 32 workshops, where the following issues will be covered: human rights, self determined living, bioethics, education, participation, Arab concerns, international development, sharing knowledge, and local capacity building.

HEALTH REFORM COMMITTEE

The research on the home supports project continues. The Research Team, members of the Social Policy Working Group and CCD staff are reviewing materials contained in the template which shares information about home support policies.

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