Advocates call absence of disability ministry in PM's new cabinet 'a real slap in the face'
Canadians with disabilities worried about what omission means for policy moving forward
When Prime Minister Mark Carney unveiled his new cabinet this week, one notable position was omitted from the roster: the minister of diversity, inclusion and persons with disabilities.
Pre-election, the position was held by Kamal Khera, who lost her Brampton West seat to the Conservative Party's Amarjeet Gill.
Instead of naming a new minister, the position was, in effect, abolished. Now, people with disabilities and those supporting them are raising concerns about what this will mean for federal policy moving forward.
"For the Prime Minister to do this is a real slap in the face to eight million people with disabilities in Canada," said disability rights professor David Lepofsky. He said the move signals to people with disabilities that they are not a priority.
According to Statistics Canada, about 27 per cent of Canadians 15 and over identify as having one or more disabilities. Lepofsky said that number will only increase as the population ages.
Carissa Thorpe, who suffers from chronic pain, said she worries the omission will set people with disabilities back.
"It feels dangerous to me because people with disabilities are the most vulnerable in society, and we are already very far behind most of the rest of society," she told CBC's The Early Edition host Stephen Quinn.
"Nobody's going to be thinking of us."
'No watchdog'
Lepofsky, who is blind, said not having a minister dedicated to this work means that issues that go before cabinet, often behind closed doors, won't be viewed through the lens of someone who is focused on ensuring people with disabilities are included in everything.
"There's no watchdog there anymore to pipe up and say, 'Hey, what are you doing to make sure you're not creating new barriers with this initiative, or why did you leave people with disabilities out?'"
For example, he said, the affordable housing crisis requires consideration of those who require accessible housing, too.
"There's no one at the cabinet table to ensure that when they come forward with this kind of new strategy that the accessible housing crisis is effectively included in it and addressed by it."
That housing component especially rings true for Thorpe. She said the last stable housing she had was a small converted shed in someone's backyard, with no running water and stairs that she fell down several times.
The $1,552 she gets in disability payments each month has made it difficult for her to find both accessible and affordable housing that is also safe.
Having no cabinet minister responsible for disability doesn't just impact future policy, said Yat Li, a B.C.-based advocate who is hard of hearing, "it threatens to unravel years of hard-won progress led by former ministers who took over this portfolio, specifically advancing accessibility and disability in Canada," he said.
"We cannot let this recent news take us a step backwards. Even though the cabinet ministry doesn't include a minister of disability, we need to continue to have a collective voice, continue to urge and ensure that a cabinet minister is explicitly tasked with the responsibility of advancing disability rights in Canada."
Add disability to another portfolio, Lepofsky suggests
Lepofsky is also the chair of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance, which is calling on Canadians to email the prime minister's office to express their thoughts on the lack of a disability minister.
He said the group would be happy if disability were added to one of the existing portfolios, but doesn't want to see the issue given to a secretary of state.
"They are not full cabinet members. They don't go to all cabinet meetings. We need a watchdog in every cabinet meeting."
CBC News requested a response from the prime minister's office, but did not receive one by deadline.
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With files from The Early Edition