Disabled community criticizes NDP for not hosting hybrid convention

New Democrats hosted another national convention that members of its disability community and their allies said was not accessible. 

Kemal Ahmed, a delegate at the convention and the provincial Ontario NDP co-chair said many of the party’s disabled members could not attend in person. Some, he said, could not afford to travel to the convention in Hamilton or afford taking the risk of getting COVID, especially if they are immunocompromised.

“I’m a New Democrat because … the party does care about many marginalized voices,” Ahmed told CBC. “But you cannot choose which marginalized voices you want to listen to.

“You have to realize that when all the voices are equal, you must also include disabled voices and that I don’t see from this party.”

Ahmed said he and other NDP members lobbied the party’s federal council to host a hybrid convention this year, allowing party attendees to vote in person or virtually.

While some events were broadcast online, speaking and voting on motions could only be done in person.

Ahmed said the NDP hosted a convention in 2021 during the pandemic that was virtual.

New Democrat MPs are proponents of a hybrid House of Commons, allowing their MPs to attend sittings in the House of Commons and committee in person or virtually.  

Outgoing NDP President Dhananjai Kohli, who was part of the planning for the convention, said there was a desire this year for a hybrid convention, but the party could not pull it off. 

With the election of a new federal council, Kohli said their early focus should be on figuring out how to make the next convention more accessible. 

“One of the first things that they should be taking on is looking at how we can change the constitution to be able to offer that as an option for the next convention,” Kohli told CBC. 

This weekend delegates voted that all national events utilize technology that allow for hybrid meetings and that it be implemented at the next convention. 

But it’s unclear among some delegates whether this commits the party to allow for hybrid voting.