Yazmine Laroche
Deputy Minister, Public Service Accessibility
About this speaker
Yazmine Laroche is Canada’s first Deputy Minister for Public Service Accessibility. Appointed to the position in August 2018, she was previously the Associate Deputy Minister for Infrastructure and Communities.
Her mandate is to establish the public service of Canada as the “gold standard” of an accessible and inclusive workplace in implementing the Accessible Canada Act. Her office recently launched “Nothing Without Us: An Accessibility Strategy for the Public Service of Canada”.
Recognized for her leadership skills, she has served in a number of federal organizations, including the departments of Communications, Canadian Heritage, Transport Canada and the Privy Council Office.
Throughout her career she has been an advocate for disability inclusion. For her efforts, she was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012. In June 2019, she was awarded a Doctor of Laws, Honoris Causa by her alma mater, Carleton University. Since 2016 she has been the Deputy Minister Champion for Federal Employees with Disabilities. She is a current director and the past Chair of the Board of Muscular Dystrophy Canada.