February 2026

House of Commons Unanimously Supports Bill S-228

Inclusion Canada applauds the House of Commons for unanimously supporting Bill S-228. Bill S-228 would amend the Criminal Code to clarify that forcing or coercing a person to be sterilized is aggravated assault. 

Canada has a troubling, well-documented, and ongoing history of sterilizing people with an intellectual disability without their consent. When Inclusion Canada’s board member, Roy Skoreyko, learned about Bill S-228 he said, “that happened to me.” 

Roy met with Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes MP Jamie Schmale, a champion for Bill S-228. Roy asked the MP to help other people with an intellectual disability who were sterilized to know that this bill is about them. Roy was certainly heard! 

On Thursday, February 26, MPs of all parties spoke about Bill S-228. Each one said the words “disability” or “eugenics.” Thank you to MP Schmale who mentioned Roy by name and said Bill S-228 “tells people that their voices were heard, that what happened to them was wrong and that they will not be ignored.” See the link to the debate in the House of Commons here.

We want to congratulate our board member Roy for his courage and commitment to ensure what happened to him, never happens to anyone else. For more information about Roy’s story and his determination to fight against abuse and advocate for disability rights, click here. 

Thank you also to People First Canada for your continued advocacy and to those MPs who acknowledged people with an intellectual disability and expressed support for this legislation. We will continue to monitor its movement in Parliament.

Launch of the NEW Inclusion Canada Website!

✨ New year, new website! ✨

After a soft launch late last year, we're excited to officially announce the launch of Inclusion Canada's new and improved website! Our new website is fully bilingual, more user-friendly, accessible, and visually appealing, and we hope that you can make great use of it. 

Our work is not yet done. We're now looking for feedback and ways to improve. We are asking our users to share their thoughts about the new website. After exploring the new website, we invite you to fill out the brief survey linked below. We appreciate you sharing your feedback with us so we can improve the user experience!

We will be sharing specific new features and upgrades over on our socials, so please watch for those.

View the new website here >

Share your feedback here >

REMINDER: Barrier-Free Benefits Program

A reminder that our program, Barrier-Free Benefits, is up and running!

This program offers FREE, one-on-one help with disability benefits. Our Navigators can help you apply for benefits like:

• Disability Tax Credit (DTC)
• Registered Disability Savings Plan (RDSP)
• Canada Disability Benefit (CDB)
• Canadian Dental Care Plan (CDCP)
• ... and others.

The team can also provide general information and advice on filing your taxes and links to free services. We’ll walk you through the process — from start to finish.

We have 5 navigators covering the Western, Northern, Central, Quebec, and Atlantic regions. Assistance is tailored to each person's location and circumstances. It's person-centered and person-directed.

If you or your family member needs help navigating the process of applying for federal disability benefits, we are here to help at every step along the way, and at your pace. Contact us today at this link: Our Navigators

Visit our website for more information on the program, how to contact our navigators, and the various programs they provide assistance with.

We encourage you to share our program information widely within your own circles and networks!

EN Website >

FR Website >

Dream. Believe. Belong.

Canadians from coast to coast are coming together for a powerful moment of unity and inclusion, and you’re invited.

Join us on April 23, 2026, from 12:00–12:45 p.m. EST for our free National Virtual Fundraising Event. Be inspired by powerful stories and learn how you can help build a Canada where everyone belongs.

We’re looking for volunteers to serve as event hosts, and it’s easy! You invite your friends; we take care of the rest.

Want to learn more about this short, yet very impactful volunteer host role? Join our upcoming 30-minute information session to get a clear overview of this impactful opportunity and have your questions answered. If inclusion matters to you, this is a session you won’t want to miss. This 30-minute session is designed to provide you with everything you need to decide if hosting is for you.

March 12th 12 PM – 12:30 PM EST 👇

Click here to register for the Host Information Session

March 12th 6 PM – 6:30 PM EST 👇

Click here to register for the Host Information Session

Questions about the event? Contact giving@inclusioncanada.ca.

2027 Expansion of Medical Assistance in Dying

Over the coming months, Members of Parliament will consider whether to allow the scheduled 2027 expansion of MAiD (medical assistance in dying) where mental illness is the sole underlying medical condition to take effect.

Any day now, a Parliamentary committee will begin to study the issue. This spring, MPs will vote on Bill C-218, which would permanently take MAiD for mental illness off the table.

We’ve long opposed Track 2 MAiD (assisted suicide for people with disabilities whose deaths are not reasonably foreseeable). If the MAiD expansion for mental illness takes effect, Track 2 MAiD will expand in scope, and people with mental health-related disabilities will be at severe risk.

Please contact your MP today to ask them to oppose MAiD for mental illness and support Bill C-218. Even a quick voicemail left at their office can make a big impact. Follow us on social media for regular updates.

Find and contact your MP >

Inclusive Education Canada (IEC) - Distinguished Leadership Awards

On February 26, IEC honoured three important leaders in advancing inclusive education across Canada. These leaders included:

• Ken Pike, New Brunswick
• Dulcie McCallum, Nova Scotia
• Cameron Crawford, Ontario

In case you missed it, the recording is up! Watch it below and please share with others.

Please also keep up-to-date with IEC's socials (X and Facebook) for more on inclusive education.

Webinar recording >



We've been growing!

Over the past few months, we are so fortunate to welcome multiple new faces to the Inclusion Canada staff team. Our growing team is a direct indication of the support we receive from stakeholders, self-advocates, families, and individuals, and we could not be where we are without you.

Here are some recent additions to the team in the past few months:

Angela AuCoin

Executive Director, Inclusive Education - Francophone

Andrea Cameron

Executive Director, Inclusive Education - Anglophone

Andrew Holland

Director, Communications & Marketing

Marion Segura

Director, Partnerships & Development

Danny Soucy

Senior Advisor, Leadership & Capacity Building

Emily Dwyer

Director, Government Relations

Andrés Sandoval

Regional Navigator - Quebec Region

We're very excited for the additional impact that we will have with these new team members! Welcome to our family.

Read staff bios here >

Inclusion Canada in Action

• Inclusion Canada participated in a session about Air Canada’s 2026-2029 Accessibility Plan. We helped identify barriers and offered feedback to make travel more accessible for people with an intellectual disability.
  
• On February 2nd, our CEO, Krista Carr appeared before the Senate Committee on Human Rights as an invited witness speaking to the Committee's study on the federal government's Employment Equity Act. You can watch Krista's appearance below:

Inclusion Canada in the News

• On February 25th, The Globe and Mail printed Inclusion Canada's response by our CEO, Krista Carr, about their Editorial on the rebalancing Canada's assisted suicide law. Although the original article (read it here) is behind a paywall, Krista's letter to the editor is pasted below:

Canada shouldn't permit medical assistance in dying for mental illness. It should also limit doctor-shopping and enforce the Criminal Code.

I'm concerned, however, that readers will miss one of our most important observations: "The point" of the MAID law "has blurred." Canada originally linked MAID to end-of-life patients to protect suicide prevention goals. Since 2016, we've seen real mission drift in suicide prevention.

Track 2 MAID grants people with disabilities special access when their death is not reasonably foreseeable. It was legalized in 2021. As of 2024, 2,050 people who were not at the end of life have died.

Track 2 MAID should be repealed.

Krista Carr, CEO

Inclusion Canada

Our Federation - Provincial/Territorial Member Updates

Did you know Inclusion Canada has a federation of 13 provincial/territorial and over 300 local member associations across Canada? In this section, you'll learn more about their work to advance inclusion across the country!

• Inclusion Alberta will be hosting a workshop called "Creating a Home" on March 14 from 10AM - 3PM in Calgary. Learn practical and creative approaches to making a home of one’s own possible. Families, individuals and FMS staff will gain tools and strategies to design individualized support, consider affordable and inclusive housing options, and envision homes that truly reflect personal choice, stage of life, and individuality. More information and registration here.

• Early bird tickets to Inclusion Alberta's 2026 Family Conference are now available! On April 17 and 18 at the Fantasyland Hotel in Edmonton, join individuals with intellectual disabilities, their families, allies and support staff as well as those working in the disability and education fields to learn from keynote speakers and other experienced families. More information and registration here.

• Community Living Ontario is now accepting session proposals for its annual Inspiring Possibilities Conference, which will be held from September 15-17, 2026 For more info, click here

• Inclusion Nova Scotia announced the winners of this year Inclusive Education NS Awards. For more information, click here