CACL's 2011 Federal Election Platform Analysis

Late last week we launched our first campaign on our new website called FEDERAL ELECTION 2011 - Together we can make disability an election issue 

As a part of the on going follow up to our campaign CACL has released a Federal Election Platform Analysis of how each party is addressing disability as part of their platform

Introduction
For the 2011 Federal Election, CACL identified poverty, employment and the UN Convention on
the Rights of Persons with Disabilities as priorities (see background). Using those priorities as a
lens, CACL has developed the following analysis of the 2011 Election Platforms.

Bloc Québécois
The 2011 election platform for the Bloc Québécois does not specifically address any of CACL’s
2011 election priorities for people with disabilities and their families.

Conservative Party of Canada
The 2011 election platform for the Conservative Party of Canada includes references to actions
previously taken by the Conservative Government – establishment of the RDSP and the Canada
Student Grants Program for students with permanent disability. However, the platform makes
no new commitments to people with disabilities and their families.

Overall, the 2011 election platform does not address the key priorities identified by CACL.

Green Party of Canada
Despite a comprehensive policy commitment to people with disabilities in Vision Green, the
April 2011 policy document produced by the Green Party of Canada, the 2011 election platform
for the Green Party of Canada makes no specific commitments to people with disabilities and
their families.

Liberal Party of Canada
The 2011 election platform of the Liberal Party of Canada makes a number of commitments to
people with disabilities and their families. These commitments speak to the priorities identified
by CACL and beyond.

In particular, the Liberal Party platform commits to:
• Ensuring that those collecting long-term disability benefits are given greater protection
in the event that the company providing the benefit goes bankrupt.
• Introducing measures, including possible legislative change, to prevent genetic
discrimination.
• Developing a new Affordable Housing Framework that will promote progress on the
particular needs of people with disabilities.
• Working with the provinces, territories, disabled Canadians and their organizations to
develop an action plan for implementing the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons
with Disabilities, monitoring and reporting to the public on progress.
• Taking steps to remove barriers such as poverty, employment and lack of access to
goods and services to ensure equality of opportunity for people with disabilities.

The Liberal Party 2011 election platform does not provide specific detail on advancing these
issues, or specific commitments within these issues. The Liberal Party 2011 election platform is
the only platform to recognize all three of CACL’s 2011 election priorities.

New Democratic Party of Canada
The 2011 election platform for the New Democratic Party of Canada (NDP) makes a number of
commitments to people with disabilities. In particular, the NDP commit to:
• Amending federal bankruptcy legislation to move pensioners and long-term disability
recipients to the front of the line of creditors when their employers enter court
protection or declare bankruptcy.
• Increasing the funding in the Canada Student Grants Program by $200 million a year,
targeting accessibility for Aboriginal, disabled and low-income students, in particular;
• Implementing the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) by:

o Supporting the development of a National Action Plan to Implement the CRPD,
including mechanisms for collaboration, monitoring and reporting progress, and
strategies for achieving such priorities of the disability community as disability
supports, poverty alleviation, labour market participation, and access and
inclusion;
o Holding Parliamentary hearings on the CRPD to hear from the disability
community and other key witnesses and creating a high-level panel with
representation from national disability organizations to map the way forward;
o Ending Canada’s reservation on Article 12 (equal recognition before the law).

The 2011 NDP election platform responds specifically to only one of CACL’s three election
priorities. However, in its commitments to the CRPD, it is the only platform to recognize the
need to end Canada’s reservation on Article 12 and is the only platform that commits to the
specific call-to-action from the disability community regarding the implementation of the CRPD.

Background
CACL has identified the following three priorities for the 2011 Federal Election:
1. Poverty
Tackle the poverty of Canadians with disabilities by:
a. Creating an advisory panel to develop long-term income reform options and
define the federal role in providing direct income support to persons with
disabilities.
b. Making the Disability Tax Credit refundable for low income Canadians.

2. Employment
Secure Employment by:
a. Establishing a new Federally-funded strategic initiative that specifically targets
youth with disabilities in transition from school to employment.
b. Ensuring that existing Federal investments in, and funding transfers to Provinces
and Territories for, employment supports and services have disability-specific

targets and initiatives.

3. UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
Make the CRPD real and meaningful by:
a. Appointing the Canadian Human Rights Commission – with adequate resources and
a national mandate – as the CRPD monitoring mechanism.
b. Design a National Framework for Implementation, or a National Action Plan, to
ensure Canada meets its obligations in Article 33(2) and to provide the vision and
overarching framework for successful implementation of the CRPD. A detailed
implementation action plan would identify necessary mechanisms for collaboration,
benchmarks for monitoring and reporting, and strategies for priority areas for action
the disability community has identified, including:
1. Access to Disability Supports
2. Poverty Alleviation
3. Labour Force Participation
4. Accessibility and Inclusion
5. Canada’s international leadership

For more information on election platforms, visit party websites:
Conservative Party of Canada
Liberal Party
New Democratic Party
Green Party of Canada

For more information about casting your ballot on Election Day visit www.elections.ca.

For more information about CACL’s Election issues please contact us