'We can, and we must, do better': First-ever Air Accessibility Summit hits Ottawa

Passengers who say they've been mistreated by Canadian airlines had the national stage today as federal ministers, airline executives and accessibility advocates gathered for the first-ever Canadian Air Accessibility Summit. “We can’t treat a wheelchair like luggage. It simply isn’t luggage. That is why we are here today,” said Transport Minister Pablo Rodriguez in his opening remarks on Thursday morning. Rodriguez and Minister of Diversity, Inclusion and Persons with Disabilities Kamal Khera co-hosted the Ottawa summit. “We know that the instances we do hear about only represent a small number of the instances that do occur,” Khera said. “We can, and we must, do better.” In recent months, stories of passengers whose wheelchairs have been broken while flying(opens in a new tab), and passengers who were left behind or forced to deplane without assistance, have made headlines. The stories prompted a parliamentary committee to launch a study on accessibility(opens in a new tab) in the airline industry, with executives brought before it(opens in a new tab). Many of those stories were relayed again Thursday at the summit. Lawyer and Paralympic athlete Josh Vander Vies told the audience about the times he has arrived at his destination without a functioning wheelchair or with his equipment left behind. While he called on the airlines to do better at ensuring accessibility equipment is handled properly, he also called on airline manufacturers and designers of accessibility equipment to modify their designs to help accommodate people with disabilities. In 2019, the federal government passed the Accessible Canada Act with the aim of trying to make travel more accessible. In 2022, it took another step towards that goal by introducing the Accessible Transportation for Persons with Disabilities Regulations.<br/>