Honourable chair and members, thank you for your invitation this morning. My name is Ken Kramer. I am the chair of the national board of directors of Muscular Dystrophy Canada. I'm also a lawyer and president of the law firm KMK Law Corporation in downtown Vancouver.
Since 1954, Muscular Dystrophy Canada has been committed to improving the quality of life for the tens of thousands of Canadians living with neuromuscular disorders. Our organization provides funding for leading research for the discovery of therapies and cures for neuromuscular disorders. Beyond research, we also provide various services to Canadians with these disorders, including assisting in the purchase of wheelchairs.
I'm here today to make you aware of a lamentable situation with regard to the funding available for persons with disabilities and to offer solutions that I hope you will strongly consider. These are important ideas, as I believe firmly that they will encourage greater employment amongst this group.
There are currently major inconsistencies in the levels of services, funding, and accessibility offered between provinces when it comes to wheelchairs. The result of this lack of funding is that non-profit organizations such as MDC are obligated to use a significant portion of their limited funds to pay for people's wheelchairs, instead of allocating that money toward research that will find a cure for degenerative disorders.
While some provincial programs will cover all the costs associated with purchasing wheelchairs, others will only provide funding for children or for those who are on social assistance. While some provincial programs boast wait times of up to six to eight weeks, others take over six to eight months to provide this medically necessary equipment. Some provincial programs offer readily accessible information about their program requirements and processes, while others don't even have an official wheelchair program in place, making the necessary information very difficult to find.
Wheelchairs are a fundamental need for those who require them. Those with such needs should not have to deplete their savings before receiving funding from the government. If the government is willing to provide funding for someone to obtain a hip replacement so that he or she is able to walk, then it should also pay for a person's wheelchair if that is what he or she needs to get around. Both situations, as I will discuss later, encourage independence.
To that end, MDC, along with five other like-minded organizations, have recently launched a national wheelchair strategy, wherein we ask that the government implement the following three important pillars: one, national standards to ensure that the levels of service and funding provided to those in need of wheelchairs are consistent across provinces; two, federal transfer payments to enable all provinces to provide full funding for their residents' wheelchair needs; and three, the creation of a one-stop information venue, whereby information about the various provincial program requirements, processes, and contacts would be available through a national phone service and website.
But how does this affect employability issues in Canada? I believe there are two ways of looking at this: how this fits within governments' existing support networks and how not doing so discourages employment. In the first case, it is important to look at how government currently helps people work. Be it literacy, job skills, or health care, the efforts of government are designed to create as level a playing field as possible for all to compete. The system at present, where costs of a wheelchair are often downloaded to the individual, makes it difficult for the disabled to afford mobility.
Beyond this fix within the mandate of the government, it is important to look at how the status quo can actually make working unaffordable. Governments' job should also be to make sure there is always an incentive for all to work. Fewer people on social assistance means more revenues and fewer expenses for government, ignoring the dignity and financial independence. But while it may seem counterintuitive, some Canadians with disabilities will find it more affordable to rely on social assistance than to work, since being employed would mean that they would have to deplete their entire savings to obtain a wheelchair, a purchase that costs as much as or more than a new car. Clearly this doesn't make sense.
For example, the chair that you see me in now costs approximately $25,000. Because I can be independent through the use of this highly sophisticated electric wheelchair, I am able to run my law firm in downtown Vancouver and employ three individuals. Without this chair, this simply would not be possible. Now, I am very fortunate to have this equipment, but not all persons with disabilities are so fortunate. Imagine how many extra people might be employed or be employers if access to mobility devices was not an issue.
If implemented, we strongly believe our recommended measures will have a direct impact on the job prospects for Canadians with disabilities. Beyond this, such a program would make Canada an example to other countries in terms of the importance and benefits of investing in its citizens. The time has come for wheelchairs to be a core part of our national health care strategy and, by extension, how Canada promotes employment among its citizens. We call on you, esteemed members of the committee, to help make the national wheelchair strategy a reality. Every Canadian deserves to live with dignity and independence, and deserves to have the opportunity to contribute to his or her community. Without a prescribed mobility device, many Canadians cannot participate in making Canada's economy stronger and more productive.
Thank you for your attention. I invite you to review the national wheelchair strategy backgrounder, which I have provided to the committee in French and English. This document will illustrate some of the discrepancies that are in existence in regard to services, funding, and accessibility between provinces when it comes to wheelchairs.