Senate committee hearings on Bill C-81, the Accessible Canada Act, have been made more accessible to ensure that individuals from the disability community can easily follow the committee’s work.

The Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology is studying Bill C-81. The bill is meant to enhance the full and equal participation of all people, particularly people with disabilities, in society.

Interpreters will be in the committee room to render meetings in American and Quebec sign language. Videos of these meetings with embedded sign-language interpretation will be made available to stream on demand after a one-week delay.

Changes are also being made to the Senate’s closed-captioning service to ensure the text is easy to read; documents used to support the committee’s study will be made available online in a format accessible to people who are blind or visually impaired.

Quick Facts

• The Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology held its first meeting on Bill C-81 on April 3, 2019.
• Bill C-81 was first introduced in the House of Commons on June 20, 2018; it was amended by the House of Commons Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities.

Quotes

“We were determined that all Canadians have the right to follow the debate about the Accessible Canada Act. This is legislation that is intended to empower persons with disabilities — that makes it all the more essential that our hearings be accessible to them.”

- Senator Chantal Petitclerc, Chair of the committee

“I am proud of the efforts made by our committee and staff to ensure all Canadians can follow our study of this piece of legislation. I sincerely hope that this sets the precedent for all Senate committee hearings in the future.”

- Senator Judith G. Seidman, Deputy Chair of the committee

“People with disabilities face barriers every day. They shouldn’t have to, especially in Parliament. That’s why we are ensuring full accessibility to the study of Bill C-81.”

- Senator Jim Munson, member of the committee

Associated Links

• Watch the committee hearings on ParlVU.
• Read more about Bill C-81, the Accessible Canada Act.
• Follow the committee on social media using the hashtag #SOCI.
• Sign up for the Senate eNewsletter.

For more information, please contact:
Sonia Noreau
Public Relations Officer
Senate of Canada
613-614-1180 | sonia.noreau@sen.parl.gc.ca