Mr. Speaker, today is the International Day of Disabled Persons, a day on which we pay tribute to the many contributions Canadians with disabilities and their families have made to our communities.
The Government of Canada is committed to ensuring that all Canadians, including persons with disabilities, can achieve their full potential and participate in Canada's economic and social activities.
This year is the 20th anniversary of the 1981 United Nations sponsored International Year of Disabled Persons. In that year the House of Commons special parliamentary committee on the disabled and the handicapped released the now landmark report, Obstacles .
I take this opportunity to thank those parliamentarians who continue to play an important role in advancing disability issues through their work on the subcommittee on the status of persons with disabilities.