Government of Canada Helps Canadians With Disabilities Get Jobs

September 17, 2014 – Toronto, Ontario – Employment and Social Development Canada

Mike Lake, Member of Parliament for Edmonton–Mill Woods–Beaumont, on behalf of the Honourable Jason Kenney, Minister of Employment and Social Development and Minister for Multiculturalism, highlighted the Government of Canada’s contribution to the creation of Canadian Business SenseAbility and participated in the organization’s launch today, in Toronto.

There are close to 800,000 unemployed people with disabilities who can and are willing to work and, there are number of employers looking to fill available positions. SenseAbility is a national, non-profit organization run by business, for business, to accelerate private sector success in the hiring and retention of Canadians with disabilities through education, training and sharing of resources and best practices.

To help support SenseAbility, the Government of Canada, through Economic Action Plan 2013, is providing $2 million in funding over four years.

The creation of SenseAbility provides an excellent example of how the Government of Canada and the private sector can partner to support the hiring of under-represented individuals in the labour market.

Quick Facts

• Economic Action Plan 2013 extended the Enabling Accessibility Fund on an ongoing basis at $15 million per year to improve accessibility in facilities across Canada, including workplaces.
• Economic Action Plan 2013 announced an increase in funding to $40 million annually starting in 2015-2016 for the Opportunities Fund for Persons with Disabilities to provide more training related to in-demand jobs for Canadians with disabilities.
• Economic Action Plan 2014 announced a $15 million investment to expand the Ready, Willing & Able initiative.
• Economic Action Plan 2014 announced $11 million for the Community Works initiative led by Sinneave Family Foundation to support the expansion of vocational training programs for Canadians with autism.
• The Government of Canada also introduced a new generation of Labour Market Agreements for Persons with Disabilities to better connect Canadians with disabilities with available jobs.

Quotes

“To support Canada’s long-term prosperity, Canadian employers must tap into all available talent. The Government of Canada is proud to contribute to the creation of Canadian Business SenseAbility to help ensure that Canadians of all abilities have the opportunity to connect with available jobs.”

– Mike Lake, Member of Parliament for Edmonton–Mill Woods–Beaumont“There is a strong business case for hiring people with disabilities. It’s good for business in terms of higher employee retention, lower absenteeism, improved safety, innovation and revenue growth.”

– Kathy Martin, Chair, Canadian Business SenseAbility

Associated link

• SenseAbility.ca
• Canada’s Economic Action Plan
• Employment and Social Development Canada