The head of Canada’s Office for Accessibility, Stéphanie Cadieux, lashed out at Air Canada after the airline left her wheelchair more than 4,000 km from her destination.
An unpleasant surprise awaited Ms. Cadieux when she landed in Vancouver last Friday: her wheelchair was left behind in Toronto.
The disability rights activist and former minister in British Columbia deplored the situation on X on Friday before providing an update on Linkedin on Monday.
Hi Stephanie, this is certainly not the level of service we are aiming for!! Would you mind sending us a DM with more information so we can get more involved? Thanks in advance! /Tori
– Air Canada (@AirCanada) October 21, 2023
“It was incredibly frustrating and I was angry,” Ms Cadieux admitted. His message on social media earned him a response from Air Canada, which rushed to send his wheelchair to Vancouver on another flight.
“Enough is enough”
Stéphanie Cadieux explained that her wheelchair had been damaged several times in various thefts over the past year, but this was the first time that it had not arrived at all.
The main manager explained that she didn’t want to exploit her notoriety, but instead wanted to address a widespread problem.
“I’m not surprised that several replies to my tweet came from people who had the same thing happen to them, with no quick solution. My job as a Senior Accessibility Manager should not affect my experience flying. Any person with a disability who entrusts their wheelchair to an airline can expect the same service. We are all customers,” commented Stéphanie Cadieux.
“Enough is enough. This experience is a visceral reminder of why I do my job and why so many people work so hard for change. […] “That has to change now,” she continued, assuring that she wanted to discuss the issue with the aviation industry.