Transport committee  Not yet.

Transport committee  It is a no. I'm sorry; it's not registering for some reason.

Transport committee  There are a couple of things. First of all, we need to enforce what we have. We don't do a very good job at enforcing the regulations and airport human rights obligations. We need to enforce what we have. However, I think that, within some of these sectors, we actually do need to develop new regulations and standards, especially around transportation of mobility devices, security—those kinds of things—to better accommodate people with disabilities, because there are major gaps there.

Transport committee  I'll take a first crack at it. The problem with something like that is it's very aspirational unless governments at all levels are willing to implement laws, rules or regulations to require that behaviour. I'm not sure that's where the industry is in Canada. However, taking the air transportation sector as a whole, I do believe this committee has the ability to make recommendations to require airlines, if they're going to do business in Canada, to have to follow the public service standard.

Transport committee  As a starting point, it is tiresome to have to prove over and over again that you have a disability, and to have to reapply every time for accommodation for each flight. We should develop an identifier number situation we can use at the check-in so that those of us with guide dogs, and people with other mobility aids, can check themselves in without having to go through a medical desk and spend an hour on hold waiting for help.

Transport committee  Can I speak to this?

Transport committee  Travel delays are quite profound for people who are blind, especially when there isn't someone available to take us to a new gate where the new aircraft may be leaving from. Other times, when the delay is longer, we have to take our dog out again. We always have to go back in some airports still through security.

Transport committee  Thank you. I'll be really brief. For blindness, there are some minor structural things that could be done, like I said, with the labels for the rows and making sure that the entertainment system is fully accessible. We don't have the same kinds of structural barriers that other people with mobility disabilities have.

Transport committee  CNIB was consulted in a very limited way. We didn't get to review the final plan and what the airline ultimately decided to do. I think there's another point that's worth mentioning here. The plans that the airlines have developed are based on current state; they don't speak at all to the idea of new technologies that could be introduced.

Transport committee  No, I was just wondering if I could also respond to this particular question. Would that be permissible, Mr. Chair?

Transport committee  That's all I need.

Transport committee  I was just going to say that part of the barriers that people with disabilities face in the regulatory process is the lack of accessibility of the processes themselves to even make complaints. As you know, disabilities do not take breaks for statutory holidays or weekends or business hours.

Transport committee  I will do my best to respond. My French is not perfect, and I do not have a link to access translation. I just want to make sure I understand the question first. You asked, what barriers are there for people who are blind on the aircraft that might be similar to something like people in a wheelchair having difficulty accessing the washroom?

Transport committee  There are a couple of things here. It's almost impossible now for someone who is blind to know what row they're at when they're navigating the aircraft, whether they're coming back from a washroom or trying to find their seat when they board. On the aircraft, they used to have braille and large labelling on the luggage bins at the top that we could feel and know what row we were at.

Transport committee  Certainly. As a lawyer, my guide dog accompanies me everywhere. She comes to court with me. She goes on aircraft. She goes to work with me every day. Everywhere I navigate the community, she's basically with me. She helps me get around obstacles. She helps me travel in unfamiliar areas, especially when I don't know what the configuration is and where the turns are.