Subcommittee on International Human Rights Committee on Dec. 5th, 2023

[Ola Abualghaib]

Thank you.

I can relate to that from so many of the countries that we are working in.

The main issue is the failure of the system to respond the rights of children with disabilities. It's a quite complex, interconnected issue that we are facing because access to education doesn't only entail being able to enrol in a school and go to school. It's all about the infrastructure being ready. In many places, there is no accessible transport. There is also the issue of access to assistive technology. Many children do not have the proper assistive devices to allow them to move around, to communicate or to function like other students.

There is access to the health system, as well, to enable them to be healthy and productive whenever they are in the schools.

For teacher education, all the support systems of the education is lacking in many countries. It's about awareness. It's about the acknowledgement by the governments that children with disabilities have an equal right to access education.

It's also the other support services around those children. Many families are struggling to afford it, but in many countries it does not exist. We are talking about simple measures that are still not in place, unfortunately. That's why children with disabilities are still paying the price.

I can briefly give you an example, where we operate in a humanitarian context. Unfortunately, even with the immediate measures that are usually put in place for children in general to get back to the education system, whether that's in the same country or the displaced country, we are now witnessing in Ukraine that families who decided to flee to other countries are not able to connect their children with disabilities to the education system. We need to have that comprehensive understanding of the failure and why the system is still not working.

Confirming what my colleague, Dorodi, said, Canada has a major role to play to be one of the pioneers of the countries collaborating with governments as well. That is the centre of the discussion: It is governments making that genuine commitment to those changes happening, with new commitments around a development or a humanitarian context.

[The Chair, Liberal, Fayçal El-Khoury]

Thank you, Mr. Lake.

Mr. Zuberi now has the floor for seven minutes.

[Sameer Zuberi, Liberal, Pierrefonds—Dollard, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I want to thank all the witnesses for being here today.

This is a really important study around disability. It's also a timely study.

I'd like to ask some questions around what is in the news today, in particular around conflict, to deepen our understanding of disability education with the nexus of conflict.

I'd like to start with the witness who finished her remarks last, Ms. Abualghaib.

I know that you have expertise in different parts of the world. You have worked amid several countries—70-odd countries.

Currently with the conflict in Gaza, according to UN agencies, over 15,000 people have lost their lives and many others are missing, 75% of whom are women and children. We are hearing reports about crush wounds and people being pulled out from under rubble and destroyed buildings. There's an intense need for medical care.

In this type of situation, where there is urban warfare and civilians are within the urban areas, what do you expect the outcomes will be with respect to children with disabilities? You can touch upon education, too.

What do you expect the future outcomes to be as we, hopefully, exit this conflict?

[Ola Abualghaib]

Thank you so much for this question.

As you rightly said, and in following the news, unfortunately, the situation happening in Gaza right now is appalling, in terms of loss of life and impact on the well-being of thousands of people over there, including children and children with disabilities. From our work in Palestine, as defined before the crisis.... Unfortunately, children and adults with disabilities are usually the most impacted, whether by the onset of the crisis we are facing now.... As you can see, people are requested to move around. They are being evacuated or forced into situations where, in many cases, basic human needs aren't met. For children and adults with disabilities, of course, this massively impacts their access to health and basic services. Without these, their lives are under threat.

When it comes to looking beyond this overwhelming situation, in this context, we, as a fund, are already starting to think about what can be done to ensure the basic services provided to those populations are inclusive, in terms of the rights and needs of persons with disabilities, including children.

When it comes to education, we have witnessed in the past in the UN action collectively.... When there is the rebuilding of schools, for example it needs to be attentive to ensuring those school environments are inclusive for children with disabilities. When it comes to health systems and rehabilitation, we know—and as you rightly said—many children, unfortunately, lost their lives. Many are now ending up with permanent disabilities that will impact their functionality, well-being and access to education.

The whole system around health, rehabilitation and assistive technoloy is essential. At this moment, it's about thinking things through to ensure that children, when ready to go back to school, are able to access the support services they need. We are hopeful that, once the moment is there for us to intervene, we will be able to respond and act.

Unfortunately, our hands are tied right now, because the situation is quite complex. However, we are starting discussions to see what we can do once things are ready, in order to re-establish a supportive system and environment for all kids and adults with disabilities.

[Sameer Zuberi, Liberal, Pierrefonds—Dollard, QC]

Thank you.

Could I follow up?

Would you say that UNRRA will be a key actor in ensuring children with disabilities are receiving proper education in the Gaza Strip and occupied West Bank?

[Ola Abualghaib]

Definitely. UNRRA plays a major role, in terms of its support for the education system.

Other agencies also play a role, such as UNICEF and UNESCO. They were usually key in previous years, in terms of providing that support. Also, I must confirm the role of other agencies, such as the WHO, which makes sure rehabilitation and access to health services are in place. UNDP also plays a major role in ensuring infrastructure work is inclusive and available to those children.

What we do as a fund is make sure there is one collective effort of UN approaches to respond to the crisis. We have already done the same in Ukraine, and it has been showing a lot of—

[Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe, Bloc, Lac-Saint-Jean, QC]

I have a point of order, Mr. Chair.

Sorry to interrupt you, Ms. Abualghaib.

When the room's microphones are switched on, it's very hard for the interpreters to do their job, especially when a number of people are taking part in the meeting through Zoom. We have to be careful. It's a matter of workplace health and safety.

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

[The Chair, Liberal, Fayçal El-Khoury]

Please pay attention to this matter—all of us.

Thanks.

[Sameer Zuberi, Liberal, Pierrefonds—Dollard, QC]

Thank you.

I assume my time was paused, so I still have at least a minute left.

[The Chair, Liberal, Fayçal El-Khoury]

You have 40 seconds left.

[Sameer Zuberi, Liberal, Pierrefonds—Dollard, QC]

I'd like to ask a question about the obligation of occupying powers.

There are many instances in which regions of the world, including the occupied Palestinian territories, Ukraine, etc.... There are obligations occupying powers have with respect to the occupied.

When it comes to covenants around children and disability, what are those obligations?

This is for Madam Paré, or perhaps any other witness.

[The Chair, Liberal, Fayçal El-Khoury]

Excuse me, Madam Paré. I will give you a chance next time, because the time is over for Mr. Zuberi. I'm sorry.

Mr. Brunelle‑Duceppe now has the floor for seven minutes.

[Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe, Bloc, Lac-Saint-Jean, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I want to thank all the witnesses taking part in this vital study. We hope that it will make a real difference for children with disabilities around the world.

Ms. Paré, if we want to establish credibility on the international stage, I imagine that the first step would be to accomplish the work at home. A number of witnesses, including you, have rightly told us that children with disabilities aren't a homogeneous group.

Let's go back in time a bit to a 2006 report entitled “Ottawa Francophones with a Disability.” This report was published by the francophone assembly and inter‑agency committee of the social planning council of Ottawa, in partnership with the group of francophone partners. In this study, focus group participants reported that, while services for francophone youth with severe learning disabilities seemed excellent, access to these services was less straightforward for francophone children.

In your opinion, has the situation changed since 2006?

[Mona Paré]

You're talking specifically about—

[Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe, Bloc, Lac-Saint-Jean, QC]

—access to services for francophone children outside Quebec.

[Mona Paré]

Are you talking specifically about children with learning disabilities?

[Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe, Bloc, Lac-Saint-Jean, QC]

In particular, yes. I imagine that this group of children includes some children with disabilities.

[Mona Paré]

I've spoken with many families that have children in these situations. I gather that the situation hasn't improved. They have a major issue with access to services. Many families turn to the private sector or head to Quebec. Families living in areas such as northern Ontario come to Ottawa because there are more resources. It's very difficult to access these resources in their areas. Many families turn to highly specialized services. In Ottawa, the Consortium Centre Jules‑Léger is for children with severe learning disabilities. It can accommodate only 40 students, so the admission process is quite extensive. Not all children who need these services can access them. There's still an issue with access to services.

[Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe, Bloc, Lac-Saint-Jean, QC]

Aren't there about twenty service centres for children with physical disabilities or severe developmental disabilities in Ontario?

[Mona Paré]

Yes.

[Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe, Bloc, Lac-Saint-Jean, QC]

As part of the research that you and your colleagues carried out and published in 2017, you visited the centre serving the greater capital region. It was running six classes at the time. Of these six classes, how many were francophone?

Was there only one francophone class?

[Mona Paré]

Yes. I think so.

[Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe, Bloc, Lac-Saint-Jean, QC]

Was the service provided because a parent had filed a complaint?

[Mona Paré]

Yes indeed. That was the case.

[Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe, Bloc, Lac-Saint-Jean, QC]

Okay. In the rest of Canada, you have to file a complaint to ensure French‑language services for children with physical or developmental disabilities.