15 March 2026 - 12:00 am
Make Petitions Accessible
The CCB with MPP Catherine Fife have drafted a petition called “Make Petitions Accessible” to urge the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to commission an independent review of the barriers faced by Ontarians with visual impairments and other disabilities in organizing or supporting petitions; to provide clear guidance and improve processes that enable their participation; and to ensure that proposed solutions do not assume access to the internet. The petition can be downloaded and printed from this link:
https://www.catherinefife.com/make_petitions_accessible
Wording on the petition:
To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:
WHEREAS Ontarians have a right to participate in democracy by organizing petitions and supporting the petitions organized by others;
WHEREAS individuals who organize petitions must follow guidance provided by the Legislative Assembly of Ontario when receiving the support of Ontarians;
WHEREAS Ontarians with disabilities, including sensory, mobility, developmental, behavioural, communicative, and mental impairments, should not face discrimination when organizing or supporting petitions;
WHEREAS Ontario’s petitioning process requires signatures, which people with some disabilities cannot provide;
WHEREAS the 2017 Canadian Survey on Disability found that 19.5% of individuals with disabilities did not use the Internet;
WHEREAS guidance from the Legislative Assembly is needed to make supporting petitions more accessible for people with disabilities;
THEREFORE WE, THE UNDERSIGNED call on the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to commission a comprehensive independent review to identify barriers Ontarians with disabilities face when organizing or supporting petitions, to ensure guidance is available to all petitioners that explains how to receive the support of individuals with disabilities, and to recognize that solutions can not assume every Ontarian with a disability uses the Internet.
Wording on the petition:
To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:
WHEREAS Ontarians have a right to participate in democracy by organizing petitions and supporting the petitions organized by others;
WHEREAS individuals who organize petitions must follow guidance provided by the Legislative Assembly of Ontario when receiving the support of Ontarians;
WHEREAS Ontarians with disabilities, including sensory, mobility, developmental, behavioural, communicative, and mental impairments, should not face discrimination when organizing or supporting petitions;
WHEREAS Ontario’s petitioning process requires signatures, which people with some disabilities cannot provide;
WHEREAS the 2017 Canadian Survey on Disability found that 19.5% of individuals with disabilities did not use the Internet;
WHEREAS guidance from the Legislative Assembly is needed to make supporting petitions more accessible for people with disabilities;
THEREFORE WE, THE UNDERSIGNED call on the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to commission a comprehensive independent review to identify barriers Ontarians with disabilities face when organizing or supporting petitions, to ensure guidance is available to all petitioners that explains how to receive the support of individuals with disabilities, and to recognize that solutions can not assume every Ontarian with a disability uses the Internet.