NDP statement on National AccessAbility Week

NDP critic for Disability Inclusion Bonita Zarrillo made the following statement:

“This National AccessAbility week is a chance to honour the contributions and work of all Canadians living with disabilities and reflect on the work Canada still needs to do to remove barriers to accessibility.

People with disabilities are more likely to live in poverty and face barriers in workplaces and in their community.

Unfortunately, consecutive Liberal and Conservative governments have continuously left people with disabilities behind. Recently, the Liberals even short-changed the Canada Disability Benefit, allocating a mere $200 a month for Canadians with disabilities to live on – that’s not even enough for a month of groceries.

Without adequate income support, persons with disabilities are currently being forced to choose between medication, housing and food. Federal support was needed yesterday, and people cannot wait any longer.

New Democrats continue the fight to end poverty and uphold the human rights of Canadians with disabilities.”