Electoral Reform committee  I truly believe that if we're going to make voting mandatory, then we also need to make sure every person has the same rights in the voting system going forward. If we are going to do mandatory voting, then I don't think I should have to have somebody with me in the polling stati

Electoral Reform committee  I would say that for the components of voting in secret, 100% of people who are totally blind are excluded, because there is absolutely no way to be able to verify your vote. You have to have somebody else there to verify the vote. As everybody else does, I can take it in, I can

Electoral Reform committee  Before I answer the question, I want to point out that my guide dog is also female, so you surely do have a fully female panel.

Electoral Reform committee  CNIB does not have an opinion on one particular system or another. I would suggest that the issue of having fewer people with disabilities or people with sight loss participating in political life is less reliant on the electoral system and more on the attitude of the political p

Electoral Reform committee  I believe it was in 1937 that blind people were actually given, through law, the right to vote, so I think we started a long time ago with getting that process forward. We just haven't been able to find a way to have it happen in secret and independently. Technology is humongous

Electoral Reform committee  Thank you. As mentioned, I'm here to discuss issues pertaining to people with sight loss in Canada. It is important we remember that every Canadian has a right to vote independently, to be able to check the ballot to make sure that it's been correctly marked, and to be able to d

Electoral Reform committee  —and maybe neither is the oath of the people who are voting for me. I don't know, they are perfect strangers, so their oath means little to me. I think that as we look forward into the electoral process it's important to look at pieces like electronic and online voting. It needs

Justice committee  It's hard to say for sure because there are what I would call accredited facilities and non-accredited facilities. In Canada, to the best of my knowledge, we have: MIRA, in Quebec; in Manotick, right around the corner, Canadian Guide Dogs for the Blind; the Lions Foundation canin

Justice committee  We have met several times on other issues. Thank you very much for keeping the perspective of service dogs front of mind in this. Traditionally, people with vision loss who have dogs that guide them have either rescue dogs or a breeding program. If it's a breeding program, when

Justice committee  From the CNIB's perspective, we do not gather information or statistics on this type of information. As a person who uses a service dog—I know a lot of people who have service dogs—I would say, from the people that I know, I can't think of one guide dog handler who has not faced

Justice committee  Yes.

Justice committee  I'd like to emphasize that this is my personal perspective. It is my opinion that when an animal that is doing service, whether it be a police dog or a service dog for someone with a disability, is attacked by somebody, it should be treated as though they are attacking the person

Justice committee  Thank you very much for inviting me to present today. I am here first and foremost as a person who is blind and who uses the service of a guide dog—Lucy, who is under the table attempting to behave herself. Second, I am here as a representative of the CNIB who believes that this