Honourable senators, it is my pleasure to speak at second reading of Bill C-81, an Act to ensure a barrier-free Canada. It is also a pleasure for me to speak on a bill shepherded by Senator Munson, our honourable colleague, who acts as an outstanding champion for more than a decade on issues related to disabilities, particularly for Canadians with autism.

I think we were all deeply touched by Timmy’s story and the profound works you are completing in his spirit. I, too, believe this legislation has the potential to be part of the most significant advancement for disability rights in this country in over three decades. I understand this bill was introduced on the other side last June to promote equality of opportunity for Canadians with disabilities, who are valued citizens and contributors to our society.

This bill has taught me that there is a serious lack of understanding about Canadians with disabilities, particularly about the historical hardships they face simply because of their differences, such as institutionalization, sterilization and social isolation.

I have also learned up to this day that Canadians with disabilities continue to face hardships even though a disability is protected under Canada’s human rights system, the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and as a signatory to United Nations Convention of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

Bill C-81, therefore, proposed a policy of transformation to change how Canada addresses accessibility by allowing us to become proactive instead of reactive for Canadians who do not want to be treated as a burden but as full, equal members of society. Once enacted, this bill will allow for the identification, removal and prevention of barriers that keep all Canadians from participating in society.

Many have spoken on this bill to explain how this legislation would enhance the legal framework to address the barriers to inclusion faced by millions of Canadians on a daily basis. I will avoid repeating the specific clauses of this bill. Those were well summarized by Senator Munson, which changes how we talk about disability and how barriers to accessibility continue to adversely impact Canadians with disabilities and their families.

My remarks will focus on the principles and some questions that should be addressed through debate. This bill seeks to transform how Canada addresses discrimination and ensures equality for all Canadians through action that will guide Parliament, the Government of Canada and many other federally regulated sectors in offering accessible services to Canadians.

This bill will modernize our anti-discrimination law to become less reactive to advance the human rights of those with disabilities before the discrimination takes place. It would nimbly address the estimated 50 per cent of complaints to the Canadian Human Rights Commission, which are submitted on the basis of disability.

Honourable senators, if this bill is passed, federally regulated organizations will be required to identify, remove and prevent barriers to accessibility in six key sectors: the built environment, employment, information and communication technologies, the procurement of goods and services, delivery of programs and services, and transportation.

In fact, the accessible Canada act could significantly change how things are done in the federal public service and how the federal public service serves Canadians. The act could also improve the lives of federal employees with disabilities. As Canada’s largest employer, the government needs to lead by example.

Honourable senators, there are still many unanswered questions around the timetable for the allocation of the $290 million proposed in the bill. To date, neither the bill nor the minister have been clear about exactly how much of that funding will be used to create public service jobs. Meanwhile, nearly 12,000 people who responded to the survey of federal public servants indicated that they had a disability.

If Bill C-81 becomes one of the tools the government uses to systematically consider accessibility issues, the Government of Canada, as an employer and service provider, will have to show leadership and promote accessibility in order to support the private sector.

At second reading, we can only hope that, in pursuing its objectives, the bill will also extend to cover the Canadians who have waited so long for help, and that it will not be limited to federal public service employees.

If accessibility is seen as a universal priority, the bill should be revised to ensure that the government also provides adequate resources to First Nation governments, to enable them to meet the urgent needs that exist in too many Indigenous communities.

That’s why I’m so eager to vote in favour of sending it to committee. I hope that during the committee study, we will learn more about the barriers that need to be eliminated, the rules and standards that will be changed, and the proposed timelines.

Honourable senators, we will also need to take a close look at how this bill will not only seek to help all Canadians with disabilities, but also their care givers, who experience higher costs and more economic barriers than people without disabilities.

We will need to know if this bill will help them deal with higher medical costs, other than basic necessities including transportation, utilities, accessible housing and adaptive clothing. We will need to ensure that the long-term goal of this bill goes beyond creating additional jobs in the public service. After all, the intent of this bill is to benefit all Canadians, especially Canadians with disabilities, through the progressive realization of a barrier-free Canada.

As I said earlier, I have much to learn about disabilities. This issue was made very clear by the Standing Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology report tabled last June entitled Breaking Down Barriers: A critical analysis of the Disability Tax Credit and the Registered Disability Savings Plan, which included 16 recommendations to the government. This thorough report highlights that the estimated number of Canadians aged 15 and older living with severe or very severe disabilities exceeds 1.8 million. Thus, if Canada is to stop treating disabilities like an afterthought, then we need to ensure that the government lay out concrete and tangible ways in which it intends to include Canadians with disabilities as valuable citizens outside the government as well.

Honourable senators, according to the government, Bill C-81 has the historic potential to bring about incredible positive changes for those living with disabilities since Confederation. If passed, Bill C-81 could help to change the way the Government of Canada and organizations in the federal jurisdiction interacts with Canadians. A defined proposal for standard development of regulations, compliance and enforcement measures, the complaint process, the roles and responsibility for implementation, as it mainly applies to Parliament, the Government of Canada, the Crown corporations and federally regulated entities, including organizations in the transportation, telecommunications, broadcasting and banking sectors.

It deserves a closer look, especially when it comes to the financial breakdown. How exactly the government intends to spend the $290 million proposed in this legislation over the next six years has created yet another bureaucratic institution. Honourable senators, politicians of all stripes want to help Canadians with disabilities. We agree that our understanding of disabilities and awareness must not focus on the specific cause of the impairment or the diagnosis of the disability, but rather on the barriers that get in the way of the full and meaningful participation of our citizens.

There is widespread support from the population over this bill, but some stakeholders raised that it does not go far enough. Some still have not been afforded the opportunity express their thoughts, while others have raised the need for more consultations. Affected groups have even stressed the disappointment in the tardiness of this government’s promise, made in the 2015 Liberal platform. We all have a duty to listen to them. Since a number of amendments were made to the bill while it was being debated in the House of Commons standing committee, which held public hearings on the bill in October.

I support that the government needs to take action on this file. I am proud to support this legislation at this stage. I look forward to the work that stands before this bill as it goes through debate and its committee stage before we can make a final decision to make sure this bill actually helps those in need and delivers on its promises to eliminate systematic barriers and deliver equality of opportunity to all Canadians living with disabilities. Thank you.