Premiers agree to address Canada’s patchwork accessibility policy 

Forty years ago, I wheeled out of Vancouver's Oakridge Centre and set out to cross 34 countries tallying 40,000 kilometres, driven by a simple belief: that people with disabilities deserve to participate fully in the life of this country. Forty years later, I still believe it. But belief alone doesn't build a ramp, retrofit a building, or open a door. Leaders and communities uniting in purpose does. And on July 22, Canada's premiers demonstrated just that. 

I met with Canada's provincial and territorial premiers while they attended the Council of the Federation's summer meeting in Charlottetown, P.E.I., to talk about something that is by no means controversial: making sure every Canadian, regardless of ability, can get into a building, hold a job, and take part in their community. 

Millions of Canadians identify as having a disability, and that number is climbing as our population ages. This is one of the largest and fastest-growing demographics in the country. And yet accessibility policy in Canada remains a patchwork: different codes, different standards, different timelines, province by province and territory by territory. We have a Charter of Rights and Freedoms, a United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, and an Accessible Canada Act, all pointing us toward a barrier-free Canada. What we don't have is a common way to get there. 

That's a gap our premiers are working to close. 

During the discussion premiers signed a declaration to commit to:

1. Working towards harmonized technical and administrative barrier-free accessibility provisions; 
2. Applying accessibility best practices in publicly funded new construction and major retrofits;
3. Advocating for incentives to streamline retrofit funding; and 
4. An annual day to engage Canadians, advance access and check progress to keep the pressure on.   

None of this is radical. It's overdue. 

Consider the return. Investment in accessible infrastructure pays back many times over in workforce participation, tourism, health-care savings and community resilience. Canada has the research, the standards, and the disability community's leadership to make this happen. What we've been missing is co-ordination, and the political will to move from a patchwork of good intentions to a shared, measurable plan. 

I'm heartened that this conversation is built around shared federal-provincial priorities. That matters. Accessibility isn't a partisan issue, and it shouldn't be treated as one. It's a Canadian issue, one that touches every family, in every riding, in every province and territory. 

But an agreement in principle isn't the finish line. What’s being committed to in Charlottetown is a commitment to work together a rhythm of accountability that outlasts any single meeting or government. Over the past four decades, Canada has made meaningful progress, but there is still much work to do. Today, more than eight million Canadians live with disabilities, and with an aging population, accessibility has become an urgent social and economic priority. 

Addressing systemic barriers, particularly in the built environment, remains critical. As we mark the 40th anniversary of my Man In Motion World Tour’s return to Canada this summer, it’s an opportunity for our leaders to reaffirm, alongside Canadians with disabilities, our shared commitment to advancing accessibility and inclusion. 

It's time for Canada to move with urgency on accessibility. I’m grateful that our premiers just seized the opportunity to act on it.  

Rick Hansen is a six-time Paralympic medalist, and a Canadian icon best known as the “Man In Motion” for undertaking an epic 26-month, 40,000 kilometre journey around the world in his wheelchair. He is the founder of the Rick Hansen Foundation, an organization committed to inspire, create and deliver innovative solutions that accelerate a global movement to remove barriers to inclusion for people with disabilities.  

The Hill Times