By Adam Berls

air accessibility

‘Ball is in their court’: MP Bachrach pushes feds to do more to fix accessibility barriers in air travel

May 23, 2024 | 2:24 PM

PRINCE GEORGE — An inaugural summit on air travel accessibility was held in Ottawa at the beginning of May, where disability activists voiced their concerns and made recommendations regarding accessibility barriers in air travel.

MP for Skeena-Bulkley Valley Bachrach attended the summit as the federal NDP’s transport critic. “The community has made their concerns and next steps clear,” said Bachrach. “The minister has been given a roadmap of what he has to do to respect the rights and dignity of persons with disabilities. Now the question is, will he actually listen?”

“This issue is not new; the disabled community has been raising the alarm for years,” said Bachrach. “It’s clear we won’t see real accountability through voluntary actions by airline CEOs and airports. In order to deliver a consistent, and safe, travel experience for people with disabilities, the government must step up with transparent data, strong regulations and proper enforcement.”

Federal Persons with Disabilities Minister Kamal Khera noted at the Summit, that the goal was to achieve long-term fixes.

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“The goal is also to make sure these conversations that we are having today with the industry is achieving achieving long term solutions that are there to address the broader barriers of air transportation.” – Kamal Khera, Federal Minister of Persons with Disabilities

Taylor Bachrach said that when speaking with advocates at the summit, and he said they are looking for immediate action.

“We’re going to be looking to the transport minister to make, serious changes, and we’re going to continue to hold them to account. One of the things that I’m doing in my role as transport critic, is working at the Transport Committee to ensure that the report on accessibility in the air sector has some really strong recommendations.” – Taylor Bachrach, MP for Skeena-Bulkley Valley, Federal NDP Transport Critic

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X: @AdamBerls

Email: Adam.Berls@pattisonmedia.com