We do research in this area, but the latest report from the panel, I think, provides us with a number of strong messages. We could talk about various ranges of disabilities and whether people face mobility issues and pain issues, but when it comes to getting the job, this seems to be the most difficult challenge faced by persons with disabilities. Once they have a job, employers will often find ways to accommodate them.
Finding a job for persons with disabilities remains quite a challenge in Canada. We've heard from the panel that while the employer has a strong incentive to find people with the best abilities, they often don't know where to go to tap into the existing pool of persons with disabilities. They don't know where to find partners, the community partners, for example. When they have a recruitment process many realize this is not adapted for persons with disabilities. Often the print is too small, or there are some pictures people can't understand. The processes are not well adapted to allow persons with disabilities to enter into the recruitment process.
We also heard strongly from many employers that this discussion between the prospect, the candidate, and the employer is a difficult one on both sides. Persons with disabilities often will be reluctant to declare that they have a disability. It's not always visible. When it's a mental health issue, the fear of being stigmatized is even more important on the part of the individual. The employer as well is afraid of asking the questions necessary to define exactly what the situation is and also to determine what type of accommodation would be needed. Therefore there is the fear of entering into complex processes or having a huge cost of accommodation for a potential employee. That difficult discussion remains a major issue. We hear it is especially the case when it has to do with mental health issues.