House of Commons Debates VOLUME 148 Ï NUMBER 312 Ï 1st SESSION Ï 42nd PARLIAMENT OFFICIAL REPORT (HANSARD) Monday, June 11, 2018 Speaker: The Honourable Geoff Regan CONTENTS (Table of Contents appears at back of this issue.) 20571 HOUSE OF COMMONS Monday, June 11, 2018 The House met at 11 a.m. renovations to their residence. That is a lot of money. It is a great help to people paying for walk-in bathtubs, wheel-in showers, and wheelchair ramps. It really makes a difference to anyone who needs ease of access and visitability. Measures like these are of great help Prayer to seniors, in particular, and allow them to continue to live their life to the fullest and often much longer in their own residence where they would prefer to be. The second credit, the home renovation tax PRIVATE MEMBERS' BUSINESS credit, was introduced in 2009. One in three households took advantage of it. It saved three million Canadians an average of $700. Ï (1100) That is an incredible number of people opting to take advantage of [English] that federal program. It really demonstrates that Canadians appreciated it. We had intended to make that credit permanent. VISITABILITY Those credits made a big difference and supported visitability, so I am happy to see this motion would encourage the government to The House resumed from April 30 consideration of the motion. continue in the same vein. Mr. Martin Shields (Bow River, CPC): Mr. Speaker, I am happy to speak today to Motion No. 157. This motion recognizes the importance of visitability. It also prompts the government to address the topic of visitability in the accessibility legislation to be introduced in the House. These are important, much-needed measures. I am pleased to support this motion. This motion highlights sound practices and accessible construc- At one time, disabled persons often led a segregated existence. tion with a specific nod to visitability. I know the construction Society did not accommodate them well. Those old attitudes really industry has made enormous strides in building more accessible started to change after the First World War. Thousands of heroic venues. At one time, such considerations were an afterthought, veterans suffered debilitating injuries in that bloody conflict. They which was a shame. Today, businesses would not build a new lost body parts. They were rendered blind or deaf. When they storefront without considering the needs of those who might need returned, they simply needed to be accommodated. It forced people greater accessibility. Municipalities also deserve a tremendous to finally start thinking about the needs of the disabled. amount of credit. They have really shown leadership in making U.S. President Roosevelt took great efforts to hide his own their jurisdictions more accessible and improving visitability. disability. He did not want to be seen as weak. He had an agreement Municipalities have often taken leadership in demonstrating what with the media never to take pictures of him looking like he was is most needed for their citizens, and I applaud municipalities for disabled, so as not to appear to be weak. There are plenty of doing this. In my riding of Bow River, many municipalities have reminders from history that attitudes can take a long time to change. done incredible work in this regard, so it is great that we are As far as I can tell, visitability is a neologism. It is a great addition to recognizing this positive trend and encouraging those who have not our vocabulary. Visitability is a measure of a place's ease of access yet adopted it to get on board. for people with disabilities. I did a quick search of the word's etymology and found it had been used a few times in the 19th and 20th centuries, but in the past it did not mean what we are talking about today. The use of the word only spiked in the 21st century, and I am glad it did. It shows that our society is taking the needs of people with disabilities more seriously. We are talking about it more. We are really thinking about how to make the lives of those with We want the future to be accessible to everyone, and I am pleased disabilities easier and more equitable. the House is taking action to endorse this positive future. We all know someone who could benefit from promoting greater I am proud that our former Conservative government was part of visitability. There is not one member in this place representing a that trend. The home accessibility tax credit allowed Canadians with riding without constituents whose lives would not be made richer, disabilities or those over 65 to save 15%, up to $10,000, on much better, and more accessible. 20572 COMMONS DEBATES June 11, 2018 Private Members' Business Ï (1105) from 90 organizations, I think it is time for the government to table a bill. I hope the Minister of Sport and Persons with Disabilities indeed addresses this topic of visitability in the upcoming accessibility legislation. We need the legislation. It has been two and a half years. The public consultations are over, and the minister's report was We understand it needs to be introduced soon for the government to released in May 2017. That is a little over a year ago. I am actually get it done. This is an incredibly important matter. It is a non-partisan astonished that this government did not plan to make an issue I hope all parties can agree upon. We have been waiting for this announcement during National AccessAbility Week, which was act for a long time, two and a half years to three years, and we need it from May 27 to June 2. I hope the government will not wait until the soon. next National AccessAbility Week to launch its bill. However, there are numerous other bills before the House the government has waited far too long to introduce. Many of them are The Liberals have been in office for almost four years now. The complicated and make enormous changes to important issues like government had announced that it would table its accessibility bill in criminal justice and electoral reform. This is an important issue for February 2018. There are only a few days left before the summer many people in our society. The government has had a challenge break, and there is nothing about this bill on the schedule before with its legislative agenda, so here we are trying to rush through adjournment. I also encourage my colleague to urge the government debate on this private member's motion, which should take priority. to invest in this area, because there was nothing in the last budget for The government should have devoted less time to omnibus bills and the planned accessibility bill or for visitability initiatives. put this one on the books so we could all support it. I know we have been through many ministers of sport and persons I want to talk about accessibility because I believe that it is time to with disabilities. There seems to have been a bit of upheaval there, do more. Our population is aging, and we have known for a long but hopefully now the file will be stabilized and the minister will be time that the unemployment rate among persons with disabilities is able to move this forward. The people need to know that the far higher than that for the general population. According to government has not forgotten them. The people need visitability. Statistics Canada, the placement rate for people with disabilities was This legislation needs to be introduced, and soon. I hope this motion 49% in 2015, compared to 79% in the general population. Advocacy will finally get the government to focus on this important file. I thank groups are hoping that the new accessibility legislation will offer the member for Tobique—Mactaquac for introducing it. practical solutions to the very real problems experienced on a daily basis. [Translation] Ms. Brigitte Sansoucy (Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot, NDP): Mr. Speaker, I want to start by saying how much I respect the member James Hicks, the national coordinator of the Council of Canadians who is sponsoring this motion, which we will support. I have with Disabilities, said that the consultations were more an airing of enjoyed spending time with my colleague on numerous occasions, grievances than a forum for tabling ideas on how to bring about and I think he does excellent work, especially on the agriculture file. change. Now he hopes the new legislation will go beyond merely I thank him for moving this motion and for working so hard to aspirational statements, which is what we would like to see, too. promote visitability. I agree with him that all Canadians, regardless of age or physical ability, should be able to live and age at home. Universal accessibility is a fundamental right that affects not only However, I also encourage the sponsor of the motion to exert more persons with disabilities, but also seniors and people with temporary pressure on ministers to introduce an accessibility bill soon. Many mobility issues, such as someone using crutches because of a broken groups across the country have been waiting for that for a very long leg. We also need to think about parents with strollers, people with time. An accessibility bill could include visitability as part of a more chronic pain, and so on. The concept of universal visitability applies comprehensive approach. to many different groups of people. I listened to the debate that occurred after Motion No. 157 was I would like to commend the City of Saint-Hyacinthe for all of the moved, and I recall my colleague, the member sponsoring the bill, work it has done over the past 20 years, since 1998, in order to make making the following comments on April 30: our city more accessible for everyone.