Good morning, Madam Chair and committee members. I guess it's good afternoon to some of you. Thank you for inviting the Council of Canadians with Disabilities to appear before the committee.
The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, in article 29, “Participation in political and public life”, requires states parties to ensure “that voting procedures, facilities and materials are appropriate, accessible and easy to understand and use; protecting the rights of persons with disabilities...to stand for elections”.
These rights are not altered by a pandemic, and we are confident that by following principles of universal design, the duty to accommodate and “nothing about us without us”, it will be possible to ensure that voters with disabilities are not disenfranchised by the COVID-19 pandemic or discriminated against by any new barriers that would make voting more inaccessible.
During the pandemic, accessible communication to people with disabilities concerning access to the electoral process is very important. A twin-track approach to communication would be beneficial, focused on successful communication directly from Elections Canada to people with disabilities and on communications to people with disabilities by their own organizations on behalf of Elections Canada.
It would be helpful to people with disabilities if Elections Canada increased its capacity for direct communication with people with disabilities so that voters with disabilities are not frustrated or discouraged by not having their inquiries answered in a timely manner. During the pandemic, people have questions about how their needs will be met, and it is discouraging and frustrating when these inquiries go unanswered.
It is recognized that if an election is called during the pandemic, it will be necessary to have appropriate distancing measures and sanitizing practices along with various forms of PPE. A disability and human rights lens must be applied to how these are rolled out.
When constructing the layout of polling stations that conform to COVID-19 safety measures, the principles of universal design need to be followed, and design and practice testing by qualified people with disabilities needs to take place to ensure that the design and practices do not include barriers to voters with various types of disabilities.
Sanitizing agents that do not exacerbate environmental illnesses, allergies, asthma and other conditions also need to be used.
Some individuals, because of their disabilities, are not able to wear a mask or face covering, so these voters with disabilities need to be accommodated at the polling station or at an Elections Canada office. Accommodations need to be available both for voters with disabilities and for employees with disabilities.
Because of the need for physical distancing, at some polls it may be necessary to limit the number of people in a polling station. As it is difficult for some people with disabilities to stand for prolonged periods of time, it may be necessary to have as an accommodation a priority access line for people for whom long waits would be a barrier to participation.
The application process for the mail-in ballot does not include an Internet-based application option. It would be helpful to have this type of option added, because at this time, those who are trying to avoid exposure to COVID-19 may want to avoid going to a postal box, and not everyone has a home fax machine. Further, an option for phone-in voting is highly recommended.
There are concerns about how a voter must establish their ID for voting. A voucher can vouch for only one person. With the number of people who are seeking to limit their personal contacts, it may be difficult for people to find someone willing to go out in public to vouch for them. To alleviate this situation, vouchers should be allowed to vouch for more than one person.
Elections Canada hires Canadians to work during federal elections. For example, there are community relations officers for accessibility. It is recommended that Elections Canada hire additional community relations officers for accessibility to ensure that new barriers are not created as the COVID-19 response is developed. It is also highly recommended that additional communications personnel be hired by Elections Canada to ensure that there is sufficient messaging to people with disabilities about access to the electoral process during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Additional outreach needs to be done for Canadians with disabilities who would be interested in working for Elections Canada in these positions or other positions. This outreach should include information about how employees with disabilities would be accommodated during the pandemic.
The Council of Canadians with Disabilities would be open to working closely with Elections Canada on messaging voters with disabilities and on barrier prevention.
I thank you and I look forward to your questions.