{"id":63553,"date":"2026-04-01T17:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-01T20:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thelaker.ca\/?p=63553"},"modified":"2026-04-01T17:00:00","modified_gmt":"2026-04-01T20:00:00","slug":"op-ed-when-voices-are-missing-so-is-good-policy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/?p=63553","title":{"rendered":"OP-ED: When voices are missing, so is good policy"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The following is an opinion piece from the Hon. Dr. Kevin Murphy, ECNS, who served as the
former MLA for Eastern Shore and first person with a disability to be elected Speaker of the
Nova Scotia House of Assembly, in Canada and the Commonwealth.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s a simple truth we too often overlook in public life: the best decisions are made when the
people most affected are at the table.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a former MLA and the first person with a disability to be elected Speaker of the Nova Scotia
House of Assembly, I\u2019ve seen firsthand how policy is shaped \u2013 not just by good intentions, but
by the voices included in the process. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When those voices reflect the full range of lived experiences in our communities, policy is stronger, more thoughtful, and more grounded in reality. When they don\u2019t, we see the consequences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s why the recent situation in our province around proposed government budget cuts affecting persons with disabilities is so troubling. While I\u2019m glad those decisions were ultimately reversed, it\u2019s hard not to think they should never have been considered in the first place. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If there was meaningful involvement from persons with disabilities, it would be difficult to imagine those
cuts ever being proposed at all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This isn\u2019t about blame as much as it is about a broader lesson. Diverse voices and perspectives don\u2019t just improve the process \u2013 they lead to better outcomes. People with lived experience understand the real-world impact of policies and decisions in ways that others simply can\u2019t.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That kind of insight is not a nice-to-have in policymaking; it\u2019s essential.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Disability doesn\u2019t affect just one group of people. It touches every family, every community, and every sector of our society. Whether through a loved one, a colleague, or our own lived experience over time, disability is something that connects us all. That\u2019s precisely why it must be reflected in the rooms where policy making is discussed and decisions are made.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But disability inclusion doesn\u2019t happen by accident. It requires intention. It means creating a political system that is not only accessible to persons with disabilities, but genuinely welcoming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One where persons with disabilities see themselves not just as participants, but as leaders and decision makers \u2013 serving as volunteers in local electoral district associations, as members to executive teams, as candidates, as elected officials, as policy makers, and as leaders across the public and private sectors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We have more work to do to build that kind of system. That includes removing barriers, challenging assumptions, and actively encouraging the participation of persons with disabilities at every level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2017, I founded and launched the Commonwealth Parliamentarians with Disabilities Network to support and encourage persons with disabilities to become politically engaged across Commonwealth countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2025, I helped launch the Nova Scotia Liberal Party\u2019s Persons with Disabilities Commission to create more pathways for persons with disabilities to engage in provincial politics and build toward a more disability inclusive province. Through that work, we\u2019ve focused on making space for people to share their experiences, shape policy, and see a place for themselves to participate in public life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If there\u2019s one lesson to take from all of this, it\u2019s that policy works best when it\u2019s built with people, not just for them. And that starts by making sure every voice has a seat at the table.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For those persons with disabilities and their supporters who want to be part of that work, I encourage you to get involved with the party of your choice and attend your local political meetings. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reaching out to your local elected representative is good, but getting involved in the political system that selects candidates and shapes political priorities is even better. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our politics and our province are stronger when more people with disabilities are part of the conversation at every step of the way in policy making and decision making.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hon. Dr. Kevin Murphy, ECNS, who served as the former MLA for Eastern Shore <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The following is an opinion piece from the Hon. Dr. Kevin Murphy, ECNS, who served as theformer MLA for Eastern Shore and first person with a disability to be elected Speaker of theNova Scotia House of Assembly, in Canada and the Commonwealth. There\u2019s a simple truth we too often overlook in public life: the best […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":63534,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[111,997],"tags":[8327,10699,10700,6381,48,1867,1077],"class_list":["post-63553","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-column","category-columns","tag-disabilities","tag-disability-advocate","tag-dr-kevin-murphy","tag-eastern-shore","tag-n-s","tag-n-s-liberals","tag-nova-scotia"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63553","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=63553"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63553\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/63534"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=63553"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=63553"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=63553"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}