Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities

Comité permanent des ressources humaines, du développement des compétences, du développement social et de la condition des personnes handicapées

For immediate release

Ottawa, November 14, 2017 -

On Tuesday, September 26, 2017, the Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities (the Committee) selected Benjamin (Ben) Fulton as the recipient of the 2017 edition of the Centennial Flame Research Award.

Mr. Fulton’s research work will focus on the contributions of David Lepofsky, a respected Crown counsel, professor of law and disability rights advocate. Amongst other accomplishments, Mr. Lepofsky was the plaintiff in two cases against the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC), which found that the TTC was required to equip vehicles with auditory signals for bus and subway stops, for the benefit of passengers with vision loss. As an advocate, he also contributed to the inclusion of “mental or physical disability” as a prohibited ground of discrimination under section 15 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

The Centennial Flame Research Award is granted each year by the Committee to a Canadian with a disability to conduct research on the contributions of one or more persons with disabilities to the public life of Canada or the activities of Parliament, in accordance with the Centennial Flame Research Award Act.

For the year 2017, the award amounts to $5,500. Funding for this award is collected from the Centennial Flame monument on Parliament Hill and from any monetary donations made to the Centennial Flame Research Award Fund.