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e-2673 (Social affairs and equality)
E-petition
Initiated by Patrick Paulin from Victoriaville, Quebec
Original language of petition: French
Petition to the Government of Canada
Whereas:
- The lockdown has led institutions, business and community organizations to adapt through the increased, if not exclusive, use of technology and virtual practices for all their services: information, support, assistance, socialization activities, etc., making people with disabilities dependent on a computer and an internet connection in order to access services and maintain social and support links;
- People with disabilities, who are over-represented in poverty statistics and tend to have poor digital skills, face a financial and skills barrier to using technology and engaging in virtual practices;
- This barrier to access constitutes a form of exclusion and discrimination, as well as poses a risk to physical and psychological health (access to information, support, etc.) and reinforces the social isolation of people with disabilities; and
- People with disabilities are also over-represented in the statistics concerning the co-occurrence of disabilities and health conditions that pose a medical risk related to COVID-19, a situation that does not allow them to expect a return to normal activities (once the lockdown is eased) in the short or medium term.
We, the undersigned, people with disabilities in Quebec, call upon the Government of Canada to financially support people with disabilities living in poverty so they can have access to computer equipment and an affordable internet connection, modelled on the existing federal “Connecting Families” program, as well as all community-based disability organizations so that they can assist people with disabilities acquire digital skills.
- Open for signature
- June 18, 2020, at 4:35 p.m. (EDT)
- Closed for signature
- September 16, 2020, at 4:35 p.m. (EDT)
