Local Member of Parliament John Weston was set to spend part of this week navigating around Parliament Hill in a wheelchair as part of an initiative sponsored by the Canadian Paraplegic Association.
On Wednesday (Oct. 26), Weston and other parliamentarians taking part in the CPA's "Chair-leader" were set to seat themselves in their chairs at 8 a.m. and roll around an obstacle course on the lawn in front of the House of Commons. Participants were then set to attend to their usual parliamentary business, finally relinquishing their wheelchairs at 6 p.m.
Weston also recently cycled with the Powell River Mobility Society Opportunities Society in an effort to better understand the needs of Canadians with mobility issues.
"In the May 2011 election and in the conversations following, Canadians instructed me and our government to help create opportunity, economic and otherwise, for all Canadians," Weston said in a statement, "and supporting equal access to opportunity through involvement in initiatives like the CPA's 'Chair-leader' event is just another way that our government delivers on that mandate."
Said Rick Hansen, co-chair of the Rick Hansen Foundation, "It is great to see those who are already dedicated to public service taking such a committed approach to help build an accessible and inclusive society so that people of all abilities have equal opportunity to participate in and contribute to all aspects of their community."
