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Ontario Government's
New ODA Bill 125
Ontario Hansard Wednesday, November 7, 2001

ONTARIANS WITH DISABILITIES LEGISLATION

Mr Howard Hampton (Kenora-Rainy River): My question is for the
Minister of Citizenship. Yesterday, Minister, you boasted that your
bill is good legislation. Now that they've had time to read the
fine print, this is what the Ontarians with Disabilities Act
Committee says: "Is your bill consistent with the 11 principles
unanimously agreed to in this Legislature?" Their answer: "No."
"Does the bill achieve the barrier-free society you set out in your
own vision statement?" Their answer: "No." "Is this the `strong and
effective' law this Legislature unanimously called for by
resolution on November 23, 1999?" Their answer: "No." So the
question is this: how can you boast about a bill that the
disabilities act committee now describes as "most inadequate"?

Hon Cameron Jackson (Minister of Citizenship, minister
responsible for seniors): I believe the member opposite is
reading comments from David Lepofsky, a lawyer for the Attorney
General's office for the province of Ontario, who is the chair of
ODAC. I have significant numbers of comments from ODAC committee
members who have indicated their full support for this
legislation.

Just this morning I received a notice from the Variety Village
children's charity where they said, "This is great news for our
disabled children and youth who will now have a better chance of
being fuller participants in Ontario's society as they grow up."
This is "a big step forward in the right direction." They had great
compliments for the province and have confidence that the
disability agenda in this province will be secured in this
legislation which, incidentally, you'll have a great opportunity to
help pass, hopefully before the end of this year.

Mr Hampton: I have no doubt that you can get some testament from
somewhere, from someone who hasn't read the legislation. I'm
talking about a committee that has now had the time to sit down and
read your legislation and they describe it as "most
inadequate." In fact, they say you're trying to take them for a
ride. As they point out, this bill lets the private sector off the
hook completely. This bill does not take down any of the existing
barriers. This bill, in terms of the broader public sector, only
calls for plans, and without any money and without any resources
they know that those plans will be completely meaningless. To add
insult to injury, you're not even making the debate about this bill
fully accessible to those people who make the point to you that
it's all about accessibility.

So, Minister, why do you show such respect for those people who
have been leading the disability community and who have tried to
work with you?

Hon Mr Jackson: The record of this government's consultation with
the disabilities community is well documented. In fact, earlier
this week we issued a policy paper that contains a significant
number of endorsements from the disabilities community. They
understand fully that what previous governments have failed to do
in this province is to acknowledge that it's not the able-bodied
people who should be deciding and determining what the standards
are; it should be the disabled individuals themselves. For the
first time in Canadian history, this legislation empowers them to
assist in making the regulations and the guidelines, guidelines
that didn't exist in this province for the five years of the
Liberals, guidelines and standards that didn't exist in the five
and a half years that you were the government, but guidelines and
standards that will exist in Ontario thanks to the government of
Mike Harris.

Mr Hampton: Minister, it's your government that promised this
legislation. It's your government that said you were going to live
by the 11 principles. It's your vision statement that said you were
actually going to do these things, not just bring in a plan, not
just create another process. What is really infuriating for those
people who have worked so long and so hard on this is
that they now have asked you to commit to province-wide public
hearings so that this bill that you boast about can in fact be
examined in community after community. If they find it
inadequate, which they do, they can then put forward amendments.

Let us test your willingness to work with this community. Will you
commit to province-wide extended public hearings so that all those
people out there who need to be able to read the fine print and
respond will be able to do so?

Hon Mr Jackson: I've indicated on behalf of the government on
several occasions in the House our willingness and our commitment
to put this bill out as soon as possible. It would appear that your
own member for Sault Ste Marie wanted to interfere with that
process earlier today when he was trying to stop the debate on
second reading which would facilitate more public hearings, which
would facilitate more access for the disabled community to
participate in the discussions on this bill and to offer their
suggestions and amendments, which this government is willing to
look at. Your own member sought to short-circuit that process, to
delay and stall it.

I say to the member from the third party that quite frankly we
haven't seen anything from when you were in power, in government.
We haven't seen one recommendation from your side of the House as
to how you would change things. The disabilities community knows
that for the first time in Ontario's history they will be able to
set guidelines, set time frames for compliance and look at the
issue of what penalties will be imposed for non-compliance. This is
a first for the disabled community and it's a first that this
government is very proud of.