Hi Jeffrey,

Thank you for writing me with this information and your questions. Please see my responses below, and feel free to post them to your web site:

1) Do you pledge to recommit to the AODA and continue the process started in 2005?
Yes, I make that commitment. The Communist Party is strongly committed to equality rights for all people. For rights to be truly realized, we need legislation that provides and funds programs and services, ensures accessibility, measures implementation and monitors compliance.

2) What will your party do to ensure public and private citizens of Ontario comply with the requirements of the AODA?
The Communist Party is committed to providing adequate funding for implementation with deadlines for monitoring compliance. We understand that implementation of the AODA will not properly occur without properly funded monitoring mechanisms, including a structure for penalties. We also know that ongoing and comprehensive consultation with, and reporting from, people with disabilities is critical to effective and efficient implementation.

3) How will you strengthen the AODA to ensure we meet the deadline of a fully accessible Ontario by 2025? On way to strengthen the AODA is to expand the notion of accessibility to include jobs. The Communist Party is committed to employment equity legislation. Requiring employers to hire, train and promote in an equitable manner would be of enormous benefit to making Ontario fully accessible.

The Communist Party is also committed to adequate funding for accessible court challenges, as a way to ensure that equality rights are maintained, implemented and strengthened.

Thanks again, Jeffrey. If you have any further questions, please feel free to email me back.

Dave