{"id":702,"date":"2025-05-13T13:39:03","date_gmt":"2025-05-13T17:39:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/msimulizicommunitynews.ca\/?p=702"},"modified":"2026-09-01T01:29:28","modified_gmt":"2026-09-01T05:29:28","slug":"carneys-cabinet-leaves-out-disability-portfolio-raising-concerns-among-advocates","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/msimulizicommunitynews.ca\/sw\/2025\/05\/13\/carneys-cabinet-leaves-out-disability-portfolio-raising-concerns-among-advocates\/","title":{"rendered":"Carney\u2019s Cabinet Leaves Out Disability Portfolio, Raising Concerns Among Advocates"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Mark Carney takes office: Canada’s new Prime Minister attends swearing-in ceremony at Rideau Hall on May 13, 2025, surrounded by dignitaries. THE CANADIAN PRESS\/Christinne Muschi<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

By MSIMULIZI<\/p>\n\n\n\n

OTTAWA \u2014 As Prime Minister Mark Carney announced his first cabinet this week, attention quickly turned to its makeup: gender-balanced, climate-focused, and heavy on economic credentials. But amid the praise for its polish and professionalism, one glaring omission has sparked quiet outrage from advocacy groups and equity watchers\u2014the absence of a dedicated Minister for Disability Inclusion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a country where more than six million people live with a disability, the failure to appoint a minister focused on their rights and needs is being seen by many as a step backward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Silent Signal<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For advocates, the exclusion sends a worrying message.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis isn\u2019t just an oversight\u2014it\u2019s a signal,\u201d said Sarah Jama, a disability rights activist and former MPP. \u201cWithout a cabinet minister championing these issues at the top level, it becomes that much easier for them to fall through the cracks.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The role of a Disability Inclusion Minister was established to ensure that accessibility and inclusion were not sidelined in federal decision-making. The previous government expanded programs and initiated long-overdue reforms to disability benefits and accessibility laws. Many had hoped Carney would go further.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instead, disability issues appear to have been folded under a broader social development portfolio\u2014one that already encompasses everything from childcare to seniors\u2019 issues. Critics argue that this kind of consolidation diminishes the focus and visibility necessary to drive real change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Accountability and Representation<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Carney campaigned on fairness, promising a government that would \u201cleave no one behind.\u201d But for some, the composition of the cabinet doesn\u2019t fully live up to that promise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere are real implications here,\u201d said Rabia Khedr, National Director of Disability Without Poverty. \u201cWithout a seat at the cabinet table, we risk losing hard-won ground in areas like housing, employment equity, and benefit reform.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The disappointment is particularly acute given the context. Canadians with disabilities faced disproportionate hardships during the COVID-19 pandemic and continue to grapple with systemic barriers in nearly every sector.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wider Pattern?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The exclusion of a disability-specific portfolio is not the only concern. Other roles\u2014such as ministers for seniors, youth, and reconciliation\u2014have either been rolled into broader departments or omitted entirely. While this may reflect a desire for a leaner cabinet, critics say it could also reflect a troubling narrowing of priorities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a political cost to exclusion,\u201d said University of Ottawa political scientist Genevi\u00e8ve Tellier. \u201cRepresentation matters\u2014not just symbolically, but because it shapes what gets attention in policy debates.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Room for Course Correction<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the cabinet has been sworn in, Carney still has options. He could appoint a parliamentary secretary with a disability mandate or create a dedicated task force. But as of now, there\u2019s been no indication that such moves are forthcoming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For a government positioning itself as forward-looking and inclusive, that silence is growing louder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, I noticed the caption mentions Mark Carney, but the date May 13, 2025, might not correspond with his actual term. If you provide more context, I can assist further.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Mark Carney takes office: Canada’s new Prime Minister attends swearing-in ceremony at Rideau Hall on May 13, 2025, surrounded by dignitaries. THE CANADIAN PRESS\/Christinne Muschi…<\/p>","protected":false},"author":137658691,"featured_media":704,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_seo_schema_type":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_wpcom_ai_launchpad_first_post":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[785243902,785243811,13493],"tags":[2443,31174,14798836,103,398],"class_list":["post-702","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-canada","category-articles-from-swahili-speaking-community","category-latest","tag-canada","tag-elections","tag-mark-carney","tag-news","tag-politics"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pfZiHJ-bk","jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/msimulizicommunitynews.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/am5c6uuobzhclkpwwkmzj6ikdu.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/msimulizicommunitynews.ca\/sw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/702","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/msimulizicommunitynews.ca\/sw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/msimulizicommunitynews.ca\/sw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/msimulizicommunitynews.ca\/sw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/137658691"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/msimulizicommunitynews.ca\/sw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=702"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/msimulizicommunitynews.ca\/sw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/702\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3935,"href":"https:\/\/msimulizicommunitynews.ca\/sw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/702\/revisions\/3935"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/msimulizicommunitynews.ca\/sw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/704"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/msimulizicommunitynews.ca\/sw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=702"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/msimulizicommunitynews.ca\/sw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=702"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/msimulizicommunitynews.ca\/sw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=702"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}