Carla Qualtrough

[Sport, April 7th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my hon. colleague from St. Catharines for his work on this file.

The Canada Games leave valuable legacies in host communities and lasting memories for young Canadian athletes from across the country. The Canada Games increase the volunteer capacity of communities, improve local infrastructure, and have a significant economic impact.

For many athletes, this will be the pinnacle of their athletic careers, and for others, this will be an important step along their journeys, but they will all look back at their Canada Games experiences with pride and fondness.

Congratulations to all the candidate cities for 2021. I am confident that the Canada Games in Niagara will be fantastic.

[The Environment, March 22nd, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, Canada has a rich and proud history of hosting both the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Any bid from any city and province will definitely be looked at within the context of this submission, including under our international hosting sports strategy and policy. We will make a decision once we have all the information, once we have government guarantees, and certainly taking into consideration where this event is supposed to be hosted.

[Persons with Disabilities, March 8th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my hon. colleague for her tireless advocacy on behalf of Canadians with disabilities.

I would also like to thank the DisAbled Women's Network for its advocacy, for pointing out that the majority of people living with disabilities are women and that among women in Canada, women with disabilities live with the highest rates of violence, the lowest incomes, and the highest rates of unemployment. That is why I am very proud of the work done by the current and former ministers of Status of Women on gender-based violence, drawing upon the work of DAWN. I am also very proud of the accessibility legislation we are developing to make sure every Canadian with a disability is included in society.

[Persons with Disabilities, February 22nd, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate my hon. colleague's dedication to the accessibility file.

We are fully committed to implementing the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. That is why we were so excited to announce recently that our government, working with provincial and territorial governments, is working on a possible accession to the optional protocol contained within the UN convention.

We have a strong history of anti-discrimination protection for Canadians with disabilities, including the UN convention, including the charter, including human rights law, including employment equity, and very soon, including accessibility legislation.

[Persons with Disabilities, February 8th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my hon. colleague from St. John's East for his question.

Earlier this year, I announced the approval of 573 projects under the enabling accessibility fund. These projects will be carried out by community organizations from across the country that applied for funding.

The approved funding will improve accessibility in our communities. These 573 projects are important to help ensure that all Canadians, regardless of their abilities, feel welcome and able to fully participate in society.

[Persons with Disabilities, February 6th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, I know the member shares the passion for inclusion and accessibility for people with disabilities that our government does.

I have experienced first-hand the great work that CNIB does for the visually impaired community in Canada. I was proud to work with them over the last year to celebrate Canada's accession to the Marrakesh Treaty. I am proud of our government commitment of $3 million to ensure we can meet the demands for alternative format materials.

Our government's disability program has been undergoing a transformation aimed at providing greater certainty and efficiency to organizations. We are indeed exploring whether or not we can provide multi-year funding.

[Persons With Disabilities, December 14th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague from Moncton—Riverview—Dieppe

We are very proud of this major announcement made earlier in the month. The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities ensures the protection and promotion of the rights and dignity of persons with disabilities so that they may be treated equally and without discrimination.

Our government will continue to work with all levels of government and stakeholders, as they all play an important role in the process of Canada's accession to the optional protocol.

I would like to congratulate my colleague from Global Affairs. The standing ovation he received from the disability community at the time of this announcement was well deserved.

[Sports, November 2nd, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague from Vimy for her question.

On behalf of all parliamentarians, I want to congratulate our athletes on their performances in Rio and thank them for playing an important role in our society and in the lives of young people. Close to 1,000 students were with our Olympic and Paralympic athletes this morning. Our athletes inspire young people to be more active and more involved in sports, to dream, and to aspire to their own podium.

I wish to welcome our athletes later on and to give them the heroes' welcome they deserve in the House for representing Canada on behalf of all Canadians. I thank them for their wonderful results in Rio this summer.

[Persons with Disabilities, October 17th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague from Toronto—Danforth for her question.

Our government is determined to ensure better accessibility for Canadians with disabilities and better opportunities in their communities and their workplaces from coast to coast to coast.

This new law would proactively address barriers to inclusion and shift the conversation on disabilities in this country. This is my vision. However, we want to hear from Canadians. I encourage everyone in the House and every Canadian to participate in the consultations that are ongoing through February 2017.

We are going to make a difference with this law.

[Persons with Disabilities, June 16th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, we are working very hard for a-whole-government approach, too, as we go into the world and restore Canada's reputation internationally to ensure that countries around the world will also implement the Marrakesh Treaty.

We have opportunities later this month and later this year to work with our colleagues at the UN level to ensure that other countries ratify so we get to 20 and we all work on Marrakesh.