The President of the Treasury Board and Minister of Transport, the Honourable Anita Anand, spoke on Monday at the Symposium on Accessibility in International Civil Aviation. This event, hosted jointly by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), Airports Council International (ACI) and the International Air Transport Association (IATA), aims to address the challenges and efforts of Member States, industry and other stakeholders and to enhance international collaboration to make air travel more accessible.
Minister Anand outlined some of the barriers to accessibility that affect the dignity and safety of travellers with disabilities and reduced mobility, insisting that the aviation industry must continue current efforts to pursue a seamless, global approach to ensure accessibility at every stage of the travel experience.
The goal is a global aviation system that is universally accessible. Persons with disabilities must be included in the conversations that lead to addressing the challenges they face when travelling.
This is also why the Government of Canada held a National Air Accessibility Summit last May to bring together members of the disability community and industry, to look for immediate and long-term solutions.
On the occasion of ICAO’s 80th anniversary, Minister Anand reiterated Canada’s unwavering commitment as both proud host state and dedicated member state to helping ICAO reach its vision of a safe, secure and sustainable global civil aviation system.
