Inclusion Matters
June 2022
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The Fight Continues: The Potential Expansion of Canada's Medical Assistance in Dying Legislation (MAiD)
In this blog post, we detail our positions and concerns about the federal government's potential expansion of MAiD to mature minors, by advanced request, or based on mental illness.
Since Bill C-7 passed last year, it has been clear that people with disabilities are accessing MAiD because they are not being provided with the necessary supports and services to live full lives in community. Continued expansion of this legislation will only increase the number of people unnecessarily accessing euthanasia in Canada when they should have the supports to live.
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Inclusion Canada at the United Nations
Earlier this June, Inclusion Canada spent a full week in New York attending the Conference of State Parties (COSP) on the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) at the United Nations.
Inclusion Canada Board President, Robin Acton, provided remarks on behalf of individuals with intellectual disabilities and families during the general assembly of COSP. You can watch the video here and view our side session press release here.
Additionally, Inclusion Canada was joined by Inclusion International and ARCH Disability Law Centre to host the best attended side event in COSP's history. "Canary in a Coalmine: The Expansion of Medical Assistance in Dying/Euthanasia in Canada" warns the world of the dangers to people with an intellectual disability of expanded access to MAiD in Canada. Watch the full webinar here.
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Dr. Laverne Jacobs is the first-ever Canadian appointed to the UN Committee for Disabilities
During the Conference of State Parties (COSP15), Dr. Laverne Jacobs was elected to the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), the first Canadian to ever be on the committee. The UN’s CRPD monitors the implementation of its Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, of which Canada and over 160 other UN member states are signatories.
Dr. Jacobs is the associate dean of research and graduate studies at the University of Windsor's faculty of law and a longtime advocate of disability rights and inclusion.
Inclusion Canada congratulates Dr. Jacobs for this momentous achievement and looks forward to working with her to advance the full inclusion of people with disabilities in all aspects of society.
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Inclusion Canada in Action
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- In June, Inclusion Canada Executive Vice President Krista Carr presented to the Employment Equity Review Task Force. She discussed how to make the Employment Equity Act and supporting federal programs inclusive of people with an intellectual disability.
- With funding support from the federal government Canada Summer Jobs (CSJ) program, we are pleased to welcome three new members to the Inclusion Canada team! Daniel Nguyen, Harper Gunn, and Divya Sabapathy are joining us as our 2022 cohort of summer students. Working closely with our communications, legal, and fund development teams, we look forward to the contributions they will make to the inclusion movement.
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On June 20, Frank Fagan was promoted to Assistant National Director of Ready, Willing and Able. In this role, he will support the strategic mission and leadership of the employment program as it enters its next phase. Congratulations Frank!
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From Friday, June 24 - Sunday, June 26, Inclusion and the New Brunswick Association for Community Living (NBACL) hosted the fourth weekend of the Family Leadership & Development Series in Fredericton, New Brunswick. The series provides family members and self-advocates with the tools to better advocate for themselves, help them create a vision for an inclusive life and support them to make their vision a reality. Planning is underway for the 5th and final session in the series which will be held from September 15th-18th in Moncton, New Brunswick.
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- On June 17, Inclusion Canada President, Executive Vice President and Executive Director of Public & Legal Affairs met with Stephanie Cadieux, Canada's first Chief Accessibility Officer, to discuss issues important to people with an intellectual disability and their families. We look forward to continuing to work together going forward.
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Accessible Comms Survey
You have a right to accessible information. What should that look like?
Fill out a survey to tell the federal government how they can communicate more accessibly.
The survey is available in English, French and Inuktitut.
When you complete the survey you will be entered into a draw for 1 of 12 gift cards. But the real prize will be helping to improve how the Government of Canada communicates with people with disabilities in the future.
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Disability Filibuster responds to proposed expansion of Medical Assistance in Dying law
The Disability Filibuster reconvened on April 19 in response to the Senate's Special Joint Committee on Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) meeting to consider further expansion of the legislation.
The Disability Filibuster's message is clear - expanding MAiD directly impacts the quality of care people with disabilities receive in healthcare settings and threatens to further disenfranchise them from Canada's support systems.
Over the next several weeks, the Disability Filibuster will host panels discussing the threat MAiD poses to Canada's disability community.
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Our Take Webinar Series Session 3 - Housing
Do you want to know more about Inclusion Canada's day-to-day work? On June 30, Inclusion Canada will host the third and final webinar in our series discussing our ongoing priority areas of work.
Join us at 1:00pm EST to learn about our position on housing for people with an intellectual disability and their families. Panelists will explore the current housing options offered to people with an intellectual disability in Canada, why institutional housing continues to exist in many provinces and territories, and discuss the path ahead towards inclusive, affordable housing in the community.
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Expansion of Eligibility for the Disability Tax Credit (DTC)
As part of the 2022 budget, the federal government announced updates to the eligibility requirements for the Disability Tax Credit (DTC) that will make it easier to qualify. They are expanding eligibility in the areas of mental functions and life-sustaining therapy.
The government has expanded the list of eligibility to also include attention, concentration, perception of reality, regulation of behaviour and emotions, and verbal and non-verbal comprehension. To be eligible, an individual must have a certificate confirming they have a severe and prolonged impairment in physical or mental functions that restricts their ability to perform basic activities
Although the DTC remains a very challenging program to access and we continue to press for further changes, this is a welcomed and positive development. We are hopeful that more individuals and families will qualify as a result.
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Upcoming Dates & Events
July 1 - Canada Day (Inclusion Canada Offices Closed)
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