The Chief Commissioner of the Canada Human Rights Commission has highlighted that the Coronavirus Pandemic has “expanded the circle of vulnerability” but people with disabilities are being let down in their hour of need.
In a statement issued to the media, Marie-Claude Landry said the government is failing the Canadians with disabilities hardest-hit by the public health crisis.
“We urge the government to immediately address the unmet financial needs of people with disabilities in an equitable way,” she said.
Landry said people with disabilities faced barriers before COVID-19 and the pandemic has only made their plight worse.
People with disabilities face more challenges in a pandemic climate, she said.
Those who are blind or visually impaired have to rely on touching non-sanitized surfaces and can’t see if people around them are practising safety protocols. People who are deaf or hard of hearing who normally rely on reading lips to communicate now face a world of masked faces. And there are longer waits now for health care and other services, while the prolonged isolation caused by pandemic containment measures can have a negative impact on mental health.
“We are asking that, as Canada in this moment of national crisis, the health, financial welfare and the human rights of people with disabilities be front and centre,” Landry said.
The federal government has promised a one-time $600 emergency benefit for Canadians with disabilities but that money has not yet been spent.
