Date: Tuesday, December 1st, 2026
Time: 1 to 2:30 p.m. ET
Language of delivery: English
Accessibility: ASL interpretation and bilingual captioning will be provided. Additional accommodations available as requested.
About
What’s next for the Canadian Accessibility Network (CAN), and how can we shape its future together?
Join Tony Labillois, Chair of the CAN Advisory Council, for a fireside chat with Yazmine Laroche, CAN’s newly appointed Governing Council Chair. This conversation will offer members an opportunity to get to know Yazmine, hear about her vision for CAN and explore the Network’s role in advancing accessibility and disability inclusion across Canada.
Together, Tony and Yazmine will reflect on CAN’s strengths, the opportunities ahead and how members can contribute to the Network’s continued development and impact. They will explore how CAN can build on its foundation of collaboration, shared knowledge and lived experience to support meaningful change.
Members are invited to bring their questions, perspectives and hopes for CAN’s future. Whether you have been involved since CAN’s beginnings or have recently joined, we welcome you to be part of the conversation.
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Speakers
Tony Labillois
Tony was born with low vision and is legally blind – but that hasn’t slowed him down. He has rafted with his work crew, driven a dogsled with his daughter as a passenger, tried a bobsled in Lake Placid, and practiced water skiing on one ski. “My disability has forged my character and pushed me to surpass myself and continually find creative and effective ways to live life to the fullest, pursue a successful career, and give back to others what I have received and learned,” he says.
Tony has spent his entire career at Statistics Canada, rising through the ranks over the past 30 years to become a Director General. In 2002, he added a new line to his job description: champion for people with disabilities. The goal is full participation, supporting each person and benefiting from their contribution and productivity. Tony’s expanded role has allowed him to acquire vast knowledge about disability, needs, perceived or real obstacles, effective accommodations, the many facets of accessibility, mechanisms, and solutions. In 2012, he was awarded the Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal, recognizing his leadership in promoting diversity at Statistics Canada.
Tony is CAN’s Governing Council Vice-Chair and Chair of the Advisory Council. “To start, I want to listen and establish a climate of truth and trust. I’m hoping the Network will have a snowball effect as other organizations want to join us and be part of the action. Together, we can positively impact policies and cultural change related to accessibility and inclusion for everyone.”
Tony’s motto: If you see a door that is a little bit open, go through it.
Yazmine Laroche
A champion of CAN since its earliest days, Yazmine participated in the early conversations that helped shape the Network — exploring what CAN could become, who it should serve and how a national network could bring people and organizations together to advance accessibility across Canada. She also has a long-standing connection with Carleton University and the Accessibility Institute and has been a strong supporter of their work in accessibility.
Yazmine brings extensive leadership and governance experience to the role. Over a career spanning more than three decades in the federal public service, she held senior executive positions across multiple departments and became the first person with a visible disability to serve as a federal Deputy Minister in Canada. Her work has consistently focused on removing barriers, strengthening inclusive practices and building institutions that better reflect and serve the people they exist for.
Her leadership extends well beyond government. Yazmine recently completed her term as inaugural Chair of the Disability Screen Office, helping guide the organization from its inception and advancing disability representation in Canada’s screen industries. She currently serves as a Trustee of the National Arts Centre, a Director on the Board of the Ottawa International Airport Authority, and a member of the Panel of Advisors to the Auditor General of Canada. She also served for many years on the Board of Muscular Dystrophy Canada, including as Board Chair.
Her contributions to accessibility and public service have been recognized through numerous honours, including the David C. Onley Award, the King Charles III Coronation Medal, the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal, and an honorary doctorate from Carleton University, her alma mater. In December 2024, CAN also recognized Yazmine with its National Accessibility Champion Award, celebrating her leadership, advocacy and commitment to advancing accessibility in Canada.