Two key first-time positions to support Canada’s accessibility legislation launch this month. Stephanie Cadieux has just begun a four-year term as the first national Chief Accessibility Officer, tasked with monitoring and reporting annually on progress in advancing inclusion for people with disabilities. On May 9, Michael Gottheil will begin a five-year term as the first Accessibility Commissioner to the Canadian Human Rights Commission, taking a lead on compliance and enforcement activities legislated in the Accessible Canada Act.
Cadieux will serve as an independent special advisor to the Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion. Gottheil will likewise advise and prepare an annual report for the Minister, while reporting directly to the Chief Commissioner of the Human Rights Commission. The new roles also complement the Canadian Accessibility Standards Development Organization.
“Stephanie Cadieux will help identify and address issues related to accessibility and disability inclusion, working with the disability community. She brings both professional expertise and lived experience to the role,” says Carla Qualtrough, Canada’s Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion. “Michael Gottheil’s leadership will ensure that the rights and measures outlined in the landmark Act are not just declarations, but that they become a lived reality for persons with disabilities in Canada.”
Cadieux comes to the new role after 12 years as an elected representative in British Columbia and serving as a Minister in the province’s former Liberal government. Previously she was the director of marketing and public relations for the British Columbia Paraplegic Association. She has used a wheelchair since the age of 18.
Gottheil, who is blind, has most recently served as chief of the commission and tribunals at the Alberta Human Rights Commission following a 13-year tenure with Ontario tribunals. Previously, he was managing partner an Ottawa law-based firm specializing in labour, employment and human rights.
