Stephanie Cadieux appears during a ceremony in downtown Vancouver on Friday, June 7, 2013. A member of the Liberal Group of British Columbia says she is stepping down in Surrey in late April after 13 years in the legislature. THE CANADIAN PRESS / Jonathan Hayward A member of the Liberal Parliament in British Columbia is stepping down after 13 years in the Surrey Legislature to become Canada’s first accessibility director. Stephanie Cadieux, representing Surrey South, is the first disabled woman to serve in the legislature and cabinet, holding a number of portfolios, including child and family development, social development and employment. Cadieux said in a statement on Monday that its work in government, the cabinet and the opposition “was exciting, provocative and irritating, often at the same time”. Cadieux’s statement did not discuss her new opportunity, but a representative of the Liberal parliamentary group provided a landmark document from Employment and Social Development Canada announcing Cadieux as Canada’s first Chief Accessibility Officer. “Stephanie Cadieux is a leader of change, an advocate of diversity, accessibility, inclusion of people with disabilities and an entrepreneur with more than 15 years of experience in planning and leadership roles,” the federal history document states. The document states that Cadieux has experience that allows her to have a deep understanding of accessibility issues faced by people with disabilities, adding that she has served as director and coordinator at the BC Paraplegic Association. Cadieux, 49, has been using a wheelchair since she was injured in a spine in a car accident when she was 18 years old. Liberal leader Kevin Falcon said Cadieux told him Monday that he had accepted a new opportunity and would step down from his position in Surrey South on April 30. “Since her election in 2009, Stephanie has worked hard for the people of BC, gaining the trust of voters in Surrey-Panorama, Surrey-Cloverdale and Surrey South in four consecutive elections,” she said. Falcon said he would miss the legislature, thanked her for her service and wished her good luck in her new position. . Cadieux recently served as an opposition critic for the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia.
