Blog

Montreal, December 17, 2024 — We express deep concern about several recent decisions by the Legault government. These changes, far removed from commitments to autonomy and social inclusion, directly threaten the quality of life and access to essential services for seniors, people with disabilities and their loved ones, as well as health users.

Concerning changes and consequences

1. Restoration of the Service Employment Paycheque (SEP) program and reduction of home care (CLSC)
• Impact : Reduction in home support services for people losing their autonomy.
• Consequences : Increased burden on caregivers, reduced quality of life for beneficiaries, and increased hospitalizations which generate additional costs for the healthcare network.
2. Reduction in allowances for support for family caregivers
• Impact : Return to 1991 scales for the “Family Support” program.
• Consequences : Limited access to respite, exhaustion of caregivers, and threat to the ability of those receiving care to remain at home.
3. Suspension of the Home Adaptation Program (HAP)
• Impact : Stoppage of essential work for people whose homes require adaptations.
• Consequences : Loss of autonomy, risk of injury and increased long-term costs to the health system.
4. Cuts in Work Integration Contracts
• Impact : Reduction in financial support for employment for people with disabilities.
• Consequences : Exclusion from employment for people with disabilities, already under-represented in the labor market.
5. Reconsidering the principle of compensation for functional limitations
• Impact : Imposition of additional costs on people with disabilities to compensate for their limitations.
• Consequences : Increased inequalities and difficulties in accessing appropriate services.

The consequences are serious and sometimes irremediable:

·         Some families are considering institutionalizing their loved ones or, even worse, medically assisted death, due to a lack of suitable solutions.

·         People with disabilities, especially women and children, become more vulnerable to violence and abuse.

• The increasingly high cost of services is forcing many families to forgo essential care, amplifying inequalities.

Our requests

Given that the cuts observed affect several ministries, we are directly calling on the Premier of Quebec, Mr. François Legault, to quickly correct the situation. On behalf of all the people represented by our broad coalition, we are demanding the immediate cancellation of all cuts and the restoration of the affected public services, which are already insufficient in quality and quantity. We are calling for the organization of public consultations bringing together the government and civil society in order to find fair solutions for all.

Quebec must be a leader in social justice. Let’s act together.

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Information :

Mr. Paul Lupien,

general manager

Confédération des organismes de personnes handicapées du Québec(COPHAN)

Phone: 514 742-2169

Email: direction@cophan.org

On behalf of:

Michel Gaudet, Vice-President, Confédération des organismes de personnes handicapées du Québec (COPHAN)

Pierre Lynch, President, Association québécoise de défense des droits des personnes retraitées et préretraitées (AQDR)

Paul G. Brunet, President, Conseil pour la protection des malades

Amélie Duranleau, general manager, Société québécoise de la déficience intellectuelle (SQDI)

Carole Lévesque, general manager, Regroupement des organismes de personnes handicapées du Bas du fleuve (ROPHBF)

Carolyne Lavoie, project manager, Répit Québec

Christiane Vincent, general manager,Fédération pour Personnes Handicapées du KRTB

Dominique Salgado, general manager, Comité d’action des personnes vivant des situations de handicap (CAPVISH)

Hugo Vaillancourt, collective rightsdefense agent, Ex aequo

Jasmin Lemieux-Lefebvre, coordinator, Réseau citoyen Vivre dans la Dignité

Lili Plourde ,general manager, QuebecFédération québécoise de l’autisme (FQA)

Line Beauregard, President, Réseau International sur le processus de production du handicap (RIPPH)

Marjolaine Tapin, general manager, Regroupement des associations de personnes traumatisées craniocérébrales du Québec (Connexion TCC.QC)

Regroupement provincial des comités des usagers (RPCU)

Rohini Peris, President and CEO, Environmental Health Association of Quebec and Canada

Selma Kouidri, general manager, Institut national pour l’équité, l’égalité et l’inclusion des personnes en situation de handicap (INÉÉI–PSH)

Steven Laperrière, general manager, Regroupement des activistes pour l’inclusion au Québec (RAPLIQ)