open letter and petition
An open letter to all federal parties to fast track a Canada Disability Benefit
October 20, 2021
Gideon Arthurs, National Theatre School of Canada ●
Linda Bartram, National Treasurer, Alliance for Equality of Blind Canadians ● Curtis and Stacey Beattie ● Patricia Benoit, parent ● Helaine Boyd, disability advocate, Executive Director, Disability Alliance BC ● Alan Broadbent, Chairman and CEO, Avana Capital Corporation; Chairman and Founder, Maytree ● Bonnie Brown, Chair of Advancement Women of Halton ● Mary Ellen Brunner, person with disabilities, member of the Alliance for Equality of Blind Canadians ● Jodi L. H. Butts ●
Sherry Caldwell, Co-Founder, Ontario Disability Coalition ● Kevin Caleb, AEBC ● Vickie Cammack, CM, MSM, Co-founder Planned Lifetime Advocacy Network ● Andrew Chunilall, CEO, Community Foundations of Canada ● Sergio Cocchia, Parent, cofounder of Pacific Autism Family Network (PAFN) ● Alan Conway, Alliance for Equality of Blind Canadians and Guide Dog Users of Canada ● Sherry Costa-Lorenz, Provincial Coordinator, Nova Scotia League for Equal Opportunities ● Senator Brent Cotter ● Murray Coulter, CPA, CMA, parent of children with disabilities ● Christa Couture, writer ● Lee Crawford ● Marie-Josée Crawford ● Season Crooks ●
Kendal David, MSW, Co-Chair, Basic Income Canada Youth Network ● Stephanie Debisschop, Executive Director, Plan Institute ● Martin Deschamps, disabled man, musician, Quebec ● Rachel Desjourdy, Senior Specialist, Diversity, Engagement and Inclusion (Accessibility) at CBC/Radio-Canada ● Stephanie Dixon, C.M., Team Canada Chef de Mission, Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games ● Nadine Domingos ● Jane Dyson, O.B.C., Former Executive Director (retired), Disability Alliance BC ●
Hon. Art Eggleton, P.C. ● Brooke (Thomas) El Skaf, PhD Student, Dalhousie University ● Zoe Ookpik Elverum, person with disabilities and disability advocate, Nunavut ● Victor Enns, Deaf and disabled man, poet and writer ● Al Etmanski CM, OBC, MSM co-founder Planned Lifetime Advocacy Network ●
Larissa Fan, advocate, Millions Missing Canada ● Richard Faucher, Executive Director, Burnaby Association for Community Inclusion (BACI) ● Christin Ferreira, parent of a person with disabilities ● Andrew Fifield, Cofounder, Advocates for ME ● Barbara Fifield, Cofounder, Millions Missing Canada ● Norah Flaherty, Mom, Advocate, Chair of RDSP Action Group ● Dr. Evelyn Forget, Professor of Community Health Sciences, University of Manitoba ● Joe Foster , Former Human Rights Critic for the GPC, Past Facilitator OBIN, Human Rights, AEPC ● Yvette Foster ● Laurent Fréchette, Notary Emeritus, Hogue Fortier Fréchette ●
Alison Galley ● Linda Gambell, MMT, MTA, RP, Wilfrid Laurier University ● Maria Garito ● Jo Anne Gauthier – President, BC People First ● Shari Graydon, Catalyst, Informed Opinions ● Denise Grogan ●
Nancy E Hansen, PhD, Professor, Director, Interdisciplinary Master’s Program, Disability Studies, University of Manitoba ● Molly Harrington, retired civil servant ● Tara Hart, parent ● Michelle Hewitt, person with disabilities, disability advocate and PhD student, Co-Chair – Disability Without Poverty ● Andrea Hilson, Occupational Therapist (Core Lifemark) ● Wendy Hoang, Canadian Council of the Blind, Toronto Visionaries Chapter, Alliance of Equality of Blind Canadians, Toronto Chapter ● Jan Hogg ● Dr. Rachelle Hole, Co-Director, Canadian Institute for Inclusion and Citizenship, UBC-O ● Pam Horton, person with disabilities and disability advocate; Chair of the Board, Disability Alliance BC ● Fatima and Goldy Hyder, parents ●
Dr. Esther Ignagni, PhD, Director & Associate Professor, School of Disability Studies, Ryerson University ●
Marianne Kerkhoven ● Brianna Kestle, RP, RCAT, Registered Psychotherapist, Registered Canadian Art Therapist ● Maimuna Khan, MSW Candidate, International & Community Development, Faculty of Social Work, University of Calgary ● Rabia Khedr, disabled woman and disability advocate, founder of DEEN Support Services, National Director of Disability Without Poverty ● Louise Kinross, BLOOM Editor, Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital ● Naomi F. Knischewsky, M.Eng., P.Eng., parent of child with disability ● Ramona Kovacsik ● Katharine Kristiansen ●
Laura LaChance, Interim Executive Director, Canadian Down Syndrome Society ● Mohamed Lachemi, President and Vice Chancellor, Ryerson University ● Mezaun Lakha-Evin, Associate Executive Director, Cerebral Palsy Alberta, Alberta Ability Network ● Erika Larking, parent ● Joy LaRusic, Achieve Program Coordinator, Nova Scotia Community College ● Alex LeBlanc ● Marie LeBlanc, advocate, Millions Missing Canada ● Jenn Ledgur, parent ● Brenda Lenahan, parent, founder and director, BC Complex Kids Society ● Wendy Lisogar-Cocchia C.M., O.B.C., LL.D(Hon), Parent, cofounder of Pacific Autism Family Network (PAFN) ● John Lord, disability advocate, Order of Canada ● Dr. Yona Lunsky, PhD CPsych; Director, Azrieli Adult Neurodevelopmental Centre; Senior Scientist, CAMH ●
Amanda MacKenzie, National Director, Public Affairs, March of Dimes Canada ● Peter MacLeod, Principal, MASS LBP ● Steve Mantis, Treasurer of the Thunder Bay & Dist. Injured Workers Support Group; Chair of the Research Action Committee of the Ontario Network of Injured Workers Groups ● Michelle McDonald – Executive Director, Brain Injury Canada ● Nicole McDonald, social justice & disability advocate ● Patrick McGrath OC, PhD, FRSC, FCAHS, Emeritus Professor, Psychiatry, Dalhousie University; Scientist, IWK Health Centre; Adjunct Professor of Psychiatry, UOttawa; Chair of Board, Strongest Families Institute ● Prof. Errol Mendes, Faculty of Law, University of Ottawa ● Susan Merrin ● David Mitchell, Premier’s Council on Charities and Civil Society, AB; Former MLA, B.C. ● Ali Mohammed, person with disability and disability advocate ● Sean Moore, Principal, Advocacy School ● Tracy, David, Cooper and Alec Moore ● Jean-Pierre Morier, president, Finautonome ● Tara Moss, bestselling author, and award winning human rights and disability advocate ● Elizabeth Mulholland, CEO, Prosper Canada ● Marie Myke, AEBC ●
Patricia Neves, Executive Director, Inclusion Nova Scotia ●
Kathleen O’Grady, parent, CEO, QUOI Media Group; Research Associate, Simone de Beauvoir Institute, Concordia University ● Erin O’Keefe Graham, Director, Emera ideaHUB, Dalhousie University; HR Committee Chair, Inclusion Nova Scotia ● Carla O’Neill, President, Family Alliance Ontario ● Hon. David C. Onley, CM, Ont., Ontario Lieutenant Governor 2007-2014 ● Anastasia Onotsky ● Mary-Lou Osborne ●
Ivonne Paez, Accessibility Advisor ● Guillaume Parent, Directeur centre d’expertise, finances et handicap, Finautonome ● Sricamalan (Sri) Pathmanathan ● Luca “LazyLegs” Patuelli, person with disabilities, dancer and educator, co-chair of Disability Without Poverty ● Rebecca Pauls, disability advocate, Executive Director, Planned Lifetime Advocacy Network, (PLAN) ● Linda Pepperdine-Ling ● Rohini Peris, President and CEO, Environmental Health Association of Québec (ASEQ-EHAQ) ● Marnie Peters, President, Accessibility Simplified ● Joy H. Petersen, mother of two adult disabled children ● Nyree Pilon ● Dr. Michael J. Prince, Lansdowne Professor of Social Policy, University of Victoria ● Barb Prysnuk-Schat , Fred Schat, Elizabeth Prysnuk and Steph Prysnuk ●
Lynne Quigley ●
John Rae, Past President, Alliance for Equality of Blind Canadians, Toronto, ON ● Senator Mohamed-Iqbal Ravalia ● Helen Ries , Co-Founder, The Sibling Collaborative ● Dr. Jennifer Robson, Associate Professor of Political Management, Carleton University ● Allan Rock, President Emeritus and Professor of Law, University of Ottawa ● Robert J., Pearl A., and Kathleen Shannon L. Rodie, parents ● Dr. Noralou Roos, Professor Emerita, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Manitoba; founding director of the Manitoba Centre for Health Policy; co-Director, Get Your Benefits ● Sharon Rousseau, Advocates for ME ● Peggy Russell, Vice-Chair Advancement Women of Halton ● Tammy Ruttan, parent ●
Rozina Saeed ● Lisa Schauer ● Michelle Shales and Adam Shales P. Eng. ● Tom Shepansky, Founder/Trustee, Rethink Communications, Board Chair, Vancouver Foundation ● Ardra Shephard, woman living with MS, writer and media personality ● Fay Shirkoohi, Administration Support, Disability Alliance BC ● Mina Shum: Independent Canadian filmmaker, award-winning writer and director ● Meenu Sikand, person with disabilities and disability advocate, Accessibility for All ● Manon Simard, Advocate with Millions Missing Canada ● Shane Simpson, BC Minister of Social Development & Poverty Reduction 2017-20 ● Sue Simpson, Parent, Executive Director, Waterloo Region Family Network ● Jeffery Smith, Cofounder, Millions Missing Canada ● Tracy Smith-Carrier PhD, MSW, Canada Research Chair (Tier 2) Advancing the UN Sustainable Development Goals, Associate Professor, School of Humanitarian Studies, Royal Roads University ● John Stapleton, Principal, Open Policy Ontario ● Barb Steele, Executive Director, Ashoka Canada ● Staci Stoyke, mother, legal guardian ● Dean Strachey, person with disabilities and disability advocate ● Jane Stratton-Zimmer ● Carmen Sutherland ● Siobhan Sutherland, MA, Psychology Resident, University of Waterloo ●
Dr. Lindsay M Tedds, Associate Professor, Economics & The School of Public Policy, University of Calgary ● Donna Thomson, Parent, Author, Disability Advocate ● Jill Thompson Millions Missing Canada ● Kevin Thompson, LL.B. Member of the Board of Directors, Families Matter Cooperative ● Maria Tomas ● Danielle Tremblay, Case Manager, Teamwork Cooperative ●
Pamela Valentine, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer, Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada ● Andrea van Vugt, person with disabilities and disability advocate, Disability Pride Alberta ● Elaine Colleen Vaughn ● Deacon Kenneth Gregory Vaughn, Clergy, Catholic Church, Archdiocese of Kingston ● Michelle Vyn ●
Mohammad Waliul Islam, AEBC ● Carol Webb ● Maureen Weinberger, Chair, Poverty Free Halton ● Ben Weinlick, Executive Director of Skills Society (Alberta) ● Jayne Whyte, person with disabilities and disability advocate and writer, Saskatchewan ● Devon Wilkins, AEBC ● Bridget Williams ● James R. Wright, Parent, Former Canadian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom ●
Marcia Yale, National President, AEBC ● Marcus Youssef, MFA, playwright, and author, Siminovitch Prize Winner ● Dr.
Jennifer Zwicker, Associate Professor and Canada Research Chair Disability Policy for Children and Youth (University of Calgary School of Public Policy)
e-Petition to House of Commons
e-3656 (Social affairs and equality)
Original language of petition: English
Open for signature November 12, 2021, at 9:51 a.m. (EDT)
Closed for signature January 11, 2022, at 9:51 a.m. (EDT)
Presented to the House of Commons by Mike Morrice (Kitchener Centre) February 10, 2022 (Petition No. 441-00175).
Petition to the Government of Canada
- Poverty is exhausting and intrudes on all aspects of your daily life;
- For people with disabilities, the added costs of being disabled increase the daily struggles;
- 41 percent of the people living in poverty in Canada have a disability, a disproportionate amount, given that people with disabilities make up 22 percent of the population;
- In a recent survey, 89 percent of Canadians agreed that a Canada Disability Benefit is the right thing to do and that the country should come together to dramatically reduce disability poverty;
- The Canada Disability Benefit is a high priority legacy initiative;
- This benefit will centre the needs of people with disabilities in the country’s pandemic recovery plans, addressing a longstanding gap in Canada’s social safety net while honouring its commitment to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities; and
- All-party support is anticipated for fast action to make Canada the first country to provide a livable income supplement for people with disabilities, as was done for seniors and children.
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