A/HRC/43/41/Add.2 38. Some provinces have followed or are expected to follow the federal leadership and adopt their own accessibility initiatives. However, progress in removing barriers remains slow. In all the places visited, the Special Rapporteur faced problems with accessibility. Public and private infrastructures, including the public transport systems, were still not fully accessible to persons with disabilities, with variations between provinces. For example, only 15 of 68 metro stations in Montreal have elevators 9 and 45 of 75 metro stations in Toronto have elevators.10 According to information provided by the Commission des droits de la personne et des droits de la jeunesse of Quebec, the rate of complaints on the inaccessibility of public transportation and places (22.8 per cent) was second-highest after discrimination in employment. There are no clear baselines on the current status of accessibility at the federal, provincial and territorial levels, which is crucial for tracking progress and fostering accountability. 39. In terms of access to information and communications, it is positive that the Accessible Canada Act recognizes American Sign Language, Quebec Sign Language and Indigenous sign languages. The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission guarantees accessible broadcasting services through closed captioning and audio description in English and French, and has established an obligation for carriers to provide relay services. Nevertheless, deaf, deafblind and hard-of-hearing persons reported difficulties in obtaining sign language interpretation or assistance to access services such as education, health care and legal aid, or to attend public events. The Special Rapporteur received allegations that deaf students could not access direct instruction in sign language and had limited opportunities to study sign language as a school subject. 40. Furthermore, the use and teaching of Braille is becoming less common, partly due to the more widespread use of audio technologies. For example, blind and partially sighted children in inclusive schools do not get adequate instruction in learning to read Braille, which undermines their literacy. Similarly, plain language and easy-to-read formats are rarely used for providing information. B. Participation of persons with disabilities 41. The Special Rapporteur was pleased to learn that persons with psychosocial and intellectual disabilities enjoyed legal recognition of their right to vote and to stand for elections. Section 3 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms guarantees every citizen the right to vote. According to the Canada Elections Act, every Canadian citizen who is 18 years old or older on polling day is entitled to vote. Nevertheless, persons with disabilities are not well represented in elected bodies. 42. In relation to participation in decision-making processes, the Special Rapporteur was informed that the authorities consult with persons with disabilities and their organizations as a general practice. For instance, the Government carried out extensive consultations on the Accessible Canada Act. Similar consultation processes were reported at the provincial and territorial level. However, organizations of persons with disabilities expressed the need to transition from mere consultation towards active involvement in all decisions that affect them directly or indirectly. The Special Rapporteur encourages the authorities to make additional efforts to ensure the participation of the diversity of persons with disabilities in decision-making processes, including women and children with disabilities, persons with intellectual and psychosocial disabilities and persons with disabilities belonging to indigenous and minority communities. 43. The federal Government supports organizations of persons with disabilities through the Social Development Partnerships Program, which provides 11 million Canadian dollars annually in core and project funding to national disability organizations. In 2019, 28 such organizations from across the country received funding for their operations. Over the coming years, the Government will provide an additional 2.6 million Canadian dollars to support the engagement of the disability community in the implementation of the 9 10 8 See www.stm.info/en/access. See www.ttc.ca/TTC_Accessibility/Easier_access_on_the_TTC/Elevators_and_escalators.jsp.