e-4588 (Business and trade)
- Keywords
- Service animals
- Signs
Original language of petition: French
Petition to the House of Commons
- At business entrances, persons accompanied by certified assistance dogs are greeted by signs that read “No dogs allowed.” Often, nothing indicates that assistance animals are permitted;
- The result is often frustrating interactions with misinformed staff who try to turn away persons who have a legitimate need for their assistance animal; and
- Assistance dog users with a less visible disability are often categorically denied entry, especially when the breed or size of their assistance dog is not commonly associated with that role.
Response by the Minister of Diversity and Inclusion and Persons with Disabilities
Signed by (Minister or Parliamentary Secretary): Sameer Zuberi
The Government of Canada thanks the petitioners for bringing this issue to its attention. It acknowledges that all Canadians have the right to take part fully in society. Advancing accessibility is about creating barrier-free communities, workplaces and services for all Canadians.
The development of national accessibility legislation – the Accessible Canada Act (ACA) – fulfilled the Government of Canada’s commitment to accessibility and the rights of persons with disabilities. The development of this legislation involved significant consultation with stakeholders, and the disability community in particular. The resulting Accessible Canada Act is landmark federal legislation that aims to realize a barrier-free Canada by 2040.
A key principle of the ACA is “Nothing Without Us”, which means that persons with disabilities should be consulted when developing laws, policies and programs that impact them. In keeping with this principle, the Government of Canada works with persons with disabilities, and organizations who advocate on their behalf, to better understand the full diversity of the community it serves.
As the petitioners indicate, Mira guide dogs are not the only legitimate working dog. In fact, in Canada, service dogs, which are defined in section 1(1) of the Accessible Transportation for Persons with Disabilities Regulations, are allowed wherever the handler goes with the exception of where food is processed and produced.
These regulations define a service dog as “individually trained by an organization or person specializing in service dog training to perform a task to assist a person with a disability with a need related to their disability.”
The Government of Canada continues to implement its plan with the aim of making Canada barrier-free for persons with disabilities by 2040.
- Open for signature
- October 24, 2023, at 11:24 a.m. (EDT)
- Closed for signature
- February 21, 2024, at 11:24 a.m. (EDT)
- Presented to the House of Commons
-
Alexandre Boulerice
(Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie)
May 30, 2024 (Petition No. 441-02504) - Government response tabled
- August 21, 2024