Speech (committee meeting)

{
    "time": "2010-04-28 15:40:00",
    "attribution": {
        "en": "Mr. Michael Bach (Executive Vice-President, Canadian Association for Community Living)",
        "fr": ""
    },
    "content": {
        "en": "<p data-HoCid=\"1919871\" data-originallang=\"en\"> Madam Chair and members of the committee, thank you for the opportunity to be here today.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"1919872\" data-originallang=\"en\">We appreciate the invitation of the committee to appear before you at this early stage, as you consider the terms of reference for a study and what the focus of a study should be.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"1919873\" data-originallang=\"en\">It strikes us that we're at a very unique moment, with Canada just having ratified the convention. That is a very important starting point and lens for any study on disability that would be led by this committee.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"1919874\" data-originallang=\"en\">That said, this poses both an opportunity and a very unique challenge for us. The convention is 50 articles long. Many articles have a number of paragraphs. It's the most comprehensive civil, political, social, and economic rights convention that we have had across any sector at the international level to date. Various groups we are meeting with today and have met in the past have recognized this.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"1919875\" data-originallang=\"en\">It's a massive and comprehensive agenda for how we should confront the various issues affecting people with disabilities. Canada took a unique and important role in advancing that convention because of this country's experience, including people with disabilities. There are important examples around de-institutionalization, inclusive education, the labour market, the right to legal capacity, and the recognition of self-determination of people with disabilities.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"1919876\" data-originallang=\"en\">It strikes us that any study needs to find some focus within that. That said, a number of priorities from our perspective as a community have already been studied quite extensively in this country. Laurie has just outlined a number of the policy recommendations that have come from those studies.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"1919877\" data-originallang=\"en\">The focus on addressing barriers that Canadians with disabilities face began systematically with the <em>Obstacles</em> report in 1981. A decade later, it was the \u201cMainstream Review\u201d, in 1992. There have been various studies and consultations convened by the Standing Committee on Disabilities and Human Rights and by this standing committee over the years. We're not convinced that a study of disability issues generally, or of barriers generally, is going to move the mark forward.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"1919878\" data-originallang=\"en\">What will move the mark forward? Why, after all the studies and consultations, are we still facing a reality in which the majority of people with disabilities are unemployed or are out of the labour market, where only a third of children with intellectual disabilities are fully included in education, and where the rate of violence, abuse, illiteracy, ill health, etc., among this group is among the highest of any group in Canadian society? Our sense is that we haven't recognized as a society...or had a vehicle to act on the kinds of recommendations that have been developed.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"1919879\" data-originallang=\"en\">We would bring your attention to article 33 of the UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities. This article establishes state obligations to establish a focal point, coordination mechanisms, and a monitoring mechanism that fully engages the disability community to review progress on the convention. Our sense of the central issue here is that we don't have effective mechanisms at the federal level or with a national perspective to monitor progress on the various recommendations this committee and various other committees of Parliament and the Senate have made with respect to Canadians with disabilities.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"1919880\" data-originallang=\"en\">We know what needs to be done. What we don't have is a clear, established voice for coordinating government efforts at the most senior level and intergovernmental efforts, as well as reporting back to Parliament on the progress that this government and other governments are making with respect to Canadians with disabilities. We think a study that would look at the kinds of mechanisms required would be most effective. What are the models? Should we have a standing committee on human resources and human rights? Should it be an office in the Auditor General's office? Is the Canadian Human Rights Commission best positioned to be the monitoring body, or are there a number of structural limitations that would suggest that it's not? There's a sense in the community that it may not be.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"1919881\" data-originallang=\"en\">We need to really look seriously at what mechanisms would be required that would be most effective in moving the mark forward.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"1919882\" data-originallang=\"en\"> We know what needs to be done, but we do need some mechanisms at the federal level to coordinate efforts, to focus responsibilities, to monitor and report to Parliament and Canadians on progress being made. We would encourage you, among the range of options before you for a study, to focus on article 33 and what the variety of options would be.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"1919883\" data-originallang=\"en\">Thank you.</p>",
        "fr": "<p data-HoCid=\"1919871\" data-originallang=\"en\">Madame la pr\u00e9sidente et membres du comit\u00e9, je vous remercie de nous avoir invit\u00e9s \u00e0 compara\u00eetre aujourd\u2019hui.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"1919872\" data-originallang=\"en\">Nous sommes particuli\u00e8rement reconnaissants que cette invitation vienne \u00e0 ce premier stade de votre \u00e9tude, tandis que vous en examinez le mandat et les principaux aspects.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"1919873\" data-originallang=\"en\">Nous sommes conscients du fait que c\u2019est un moment tr\u00e8s sp\u00e9cial puisque le Canada vient tout juste de ratifier la convention. C\u2019est l\u00e0 un important point de d\u00e9part, qui influera sur toute \u00e9tude de l\u2019invalidit\u00e9 men\u00e9e par votre comit\u00e9.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"1919874\" data-originallang=\"en\">Cela \u00e9tant dit, c\u2019est \u00e0 la fois une occasion et un d\u00e9fi pour nous. La convention compte 50 articles dont beaucoup se composent de nombreux paragraphes. C'est le document international le plus complet que nous ayons jamais vu sur les droits civils, politiques, sociaux et \u00e9conomiques des personnes handicap\u00e9es. Diff\u00e9rents groupes que nous rencontrons aujourd\u2019hui et que nous avons rencontr\u00e9s dans le pass\u00e9 ont reconnu ce fait.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"1919875\" data-originallang=\"en\">C\u2019est un programme \u00e9norme et complet sur la fa\u00e7on d\u2019affronter les probl\u00e8mes touchant les personnes handicap\u00e9es. Le Canada a assum\u00e9 un r\u00f4le particulier et important en faveur de cette convention \u00e0 cause de son exp\u00e9rience et de l\u2019exp\u00e9rience de ses personnes handicap\u00e9es dans le domaine. Il y a d\u2019importants exemples li\u00e9s \u00e0 la d\u00e9sinstitutionnalisation, \u00e0 l\u2019\u00e9ducation inclusive, au march\u00e9 du travail, au droit \u00e0 la capacit\u00e9 juridique et \u00e0 la reconnaissance du droit des personnes handicap\u00e9es \u00e0 l\u2019autod\u00e9termination.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"1919876\" data-originallang=\"en\">Nous croyons que toute \u00e9tude devrait aborder ces th\u00e8mes d\u2019une mani\u00e8re ou d\u2019une autre. Il faut cependant tenir compte du fait que certaines des questions que notre communaut\u00e9 juge prioritaires ont d\u00e9j\u00e0 fait l\u2019objet d\u2019\u00e9tudes approfondies au Canada. Laurie vient d\u2019\u00e9num\u00e9rer quelques-unes des recommandations formul\u00e9es dans ces \u00e9tudes.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"1919877\" data-originallang=\"en\">L\u2019\u00e9limination des obstacles qu\u2019affrontent les Canadiens handicap\u00e9s a commenc\u00e9 d\u2019une fa\u00e7on syst\u00e9matique apr\u00e8s la publication du rapport <em>Obstacles</em> en 1981. Une d\u00e9cennie plus tard, nous avons eu <em>Pleine participation 92</em>. Le Comit\u00e9 permanent des personnes handicap\u00e9es et des droits de la personne et votre comit\u00e9 ont proc\u00e9d\u00e9 \u00e0 diff\u00e9rentes \u00e9tudes et consultations au fil des ans. Nous ne sommes pas convaincus qu\u2019une \u00e9tude g\u00e9n\u00e9rale sur les personnes handicap\u00e9es ou les obstacles qu\u2019elles affrontent nous permettrait de r\u00e9aliser des progr\u00e8s.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"1919878\" data-originallang=\"en\">Qu\u2019est-ce qui peut nous faire avancer? Pourquoi, apr\u00e8s toutes ces \u00e9tudes et consultations, devons-nous encore faire face \u00e0 une r\u00e9alit\u00e9 dans laquelle la majorit\u00e9 des personnes handicap\u00e9es n\u2019ont pas d\u2019emploi ou ne font pas partie de la population active, dans laquelle seulement un tiers des enfants ayant des d\u00e9ficiences intellectuelles sont pleinement int\u00e9gr\u00e9s dans le syst\u00e8me d\u2019\u00e9ducation et dans laquelle les taux de violence, d\u2019abus, d\u2019analphab\u00e9tisme, de mauvaise sant\u00e9, etc. dans ce groupe se situent parmi les plus \u00e9lev\u00e9s de la soci\u00e9t\u00e9 canadienne? \u00c0 notre avis, nous n\u2019avons pas reconnu comme soci\u00e9t\u00e9... ou nous n\u2019avons pas trouv\u00e9 un moyen d\u2019agir en fonction des recommandations qui ont \u00e9t\u00e9 formul\u00e9es.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"1919879\" data-originallang=\"en\">Nous souhaitons attirer votre attention sur l\u2019article 33 de la Convention des Nations Unies relative aux droits des personnes handicap\u00e9es. Cette disposition impose aux \u00c9tats parties de d\u00e9signer des points de contact et de cr\u00e9er des dispositifs de coordination et de suivi charg\u00e9s de suivre les progr\u00e8s r\u00e9alis\u00e9s dans la mise en \u0153uvre de la convention, avec la pleine participation de la communaut\u00e9 des personnes handicap\u00e9es. \u00c0 notre avis, le probl\u00e8me central r\u00e9side dans le fait que nous ne disposons pas de m\u00e9canismes efficaces au niveau f\u00e9d\u00e9ral ou dans une perspective nationale pour suivre la mise en \u0153uvre des diff\u00e9rentes recommandations formul\u00e9es pas votre comit\u00e9 et diff\u00e9rents autres comit\u00e9s de la Chambre et du S\u00e9nat au sujet des Canadiens handicap\u00e9s.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"1919880\" data-originallang=\"en\">Nous savons ce qu\u2019il y a \u00e0 faire. Ce qui nous manque, c\u2019est un m\u00e9canisme clair et \u00e9tabli pour coordonner les efforts gouvernementaux et intergouvernementaux au niveau le plus \u00e9lev\u00e9 et pour faire rapport au Parlement sur les progr\u00e8s r\u00e9alis\u00e9s par les diff\u00e9rents gouvernements en faveur des personnes handicap\u00e9es. Nous croyons qu\u2019une \u00e9tude centr\u00e9e sur les m\u00e9canismes n\u00e9cessaires pour agir ainsi serait la plus efficace. Quels sont les mod\u00e8les? Devrions-nous avoir un Comit\u00e9 permanent des ressources humaines et des droits de la personne? Faudrait-il \u00e9tablir un bureau chez la v\u00e9rificatrice g\u00e9n\u00e9rale? La Commission canadienne des droits de la personne est-elle la mieux plac\u00e9e pour jouer le r\u00f4le d\u2019organisme de suivi, ou bien y a-t-il des limites structurelles qui l\u2019emp\u00eacheraient de le faire? Notre communaut\u00e9 a l\u2019impression que c\u2019est peut-\u00eatre le cas.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"1919881\" data-originallang=\"en\">Nous devons examiner s\u00e9rieusement le genre de m\u00e9canisme \u00e0 \u00e9tablir pour progresser de la mani\u00e8re la plus efficace.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"1919882\" data-originallang=\"en\">Nous savons ce qu\u2019il faut faire, mais nous avons besoin d\u2019un m\u00e9canisme f\u00e9d\u00e9ral pour coordonner les efforts, pr\u00e9ciser les responsabilit\u00e9s, faire le suivi et pr\u00e9senter au Parlement et aux Canadiens des rapports sur les progr\u00e8s r\u00e9alis\u00e9s. Nous vous encourageons \u00e0 choisir, dans la gamme des options qui s\u2019offrent \u00e0 vous pour cette \u00e9tude, de concentrer votre attention sur l\u2019article 33 et sur la nature des options \u00e0 privil\u00e9gier.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"1919883\" data-originallang=\"en\">Je vous remercie.</p>"
    },
    "url": "/committees/human-resources/40-3/14/michael-bach-1/",
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    "politician_membership_url": null,
    "procedural": false,
    "source_id": "3124902",
    "document_url": "/committees/human-resources/40-3/14/",
    "related": {
        "document_speeches_url": "/speeches/?document=%2Fcommittees%2Fhuman-resources%2F40-3%2F14%2F"
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}