When Prime Minister Mark Carney unveiled his new cabinet this week, one notable position was omitted from the roster: the minister of diversity, inclusion and persons with disabilities.
Pre-election, the position was held by Kamal Khera, who lost her Brampton West seat to the Conservative Party’s Amarjeet Gill.
Instead of naming a new minister, the position was, in effect, abolished. Now, people with disabilities and those supporting them are raising concerns about what this will mean for federal policy moving forward.
“For the Prime Minister to do this is a real slap in the face to eight million people with disabilities in Canada,” said disability rights professor David Lepofsky. He said the move signals to people with disabilities that they are not a priority.
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