Sudbury MP Marks International Day of Persons with Disabilities

SUDBURY – December 3 is International Day of Persons with Disabilities and Member of Parliament for Sudbury, Viviane Lapointe, took the opportunity to acknowledge the work and advocacy of Sudbury’s disability community.

“Having worked in the developmental services sector, I understand and am deeply committed to building a more inclusive and accessible community for persons living with disabilities,” said Lapointe.

The 2022 Canada Survey on Disability found that 27% of Canadians aged 15 and over report having at least one disability. This represents about eight million people. Here in Sudbury, 37,700 people are living with disabilities.

Lapointe points out that many strides have been made over the past few years. The government passed the Accessible Canada Act and launched the Disability Inclusion Action Plan.  In addition, the government has invested close to $500,000 in Sudbury through the Enabling Accessibility Fund to make the community’s public spaces, facilities, and workplaces more accessible for persons with disabilities.

The federal government is also creating more opportunities for persons with disabilities to succeed in the job market through skills training, mentorship and by bringing together employers and employees with disabilities.

In just a few months, Canadians with disabilities will receive for the first time the Canada Disability Benefit (CDB) payments – the country’s first statutory national benefit for working-age Canadians with disabilities. The new Dental Plan has also helped persons with disabilities to get access to affordable dental care.

“Many other governments had the chance to create this benefit, but we’re proud to be the ones alongside the community making it a reality,” said Lapointe.

The CDB marks a significant milestone, but the bigger goal is to see the combined amount of federal and provincial income supports for persons with disabilities grow to the level of Old Age Security (OAS) and the Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS).

“I’ll be the first to say that we have a long way to go to hit our goal of making Canada barrier-free by 2040, and I want to thank the community for their advocacy and commitment. The CDB is a stepping stone in this journey– it is not the end. There is still much work to be done to build fully inclusive and accessible communities, and together we will get there.”