Jay Woodruff
| Jay Woodruff | |
|---|---|
 Jay and Octavia Woodruff in 2025 | |
| Born | December 27, 1981 North York, Ontario, Canada |
| 💼 Occupation | |
| 👶 Children | Octavia Woodruff |
Jay Woodruff (born December 27, 1981)is a Canadian politician who ran (unsuccessfully) for city council in Rockland Ontario in the 2022 municipal election[1][2][3][4]
Jay Woodruff came to recognition as a disability justice advocate in 2020 after taking his story of battling the Ontario disability support program which was forcing him to chose between exiting his daughter's life in order to get support.[5]
Advocacy
Jay Woodruff authored a house of commons petition that went live for signatures on September 1, 2020 which was sponsored by former New Democratic Party MP Matthew Green that gained a lot of media attention and helped to bring the reality of the situation facing the disabled community of Canada.[6]
It demanded the creation of a new federal disability benefit and providing a benefit for those excluded from the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB).
Woodruff stood against the inclusion of the disability tax credit as a requirement for receiving the Canadian disability benefit as it would exclude a large portion of the disabled community, as well as calling out the fact that the benefit was not funded enough to help even a fraction of the disabled community.[7]
He described the benefit as an I.O.U. and has continued to work towards its expansion and funding[8] and had called the many issues "the program working as intended, to exclude as many as possible"[9]
In 2025 he authored another house of commons petition aiming to create an independent disability commissioner of Canada which was sponsored by New Democratic Party MP Leah Gazan[10], this was not successful and the disability commissioner remains a part of the Human rights commission, a decision Woodruff condemns.[11]
Medical assistance in dying (MAiD)
Woodruff has also advocated against the expansion of Canada's MAiD program without firstproviding a fully funded disability benefit, providing a brief for the MEDICAL ASSISTANCE IN DYING IN CANADA: CHOICES FOR CANADIANS Report of the Special Joint Committee on Medical Assistance in Dying in 2023[12][13]
Jay Woodruff, along with his daughter, have worked towards expanding accessibility federally, provincially, and in their community[14]
New Democratic Party of Canada
During the NDP's 2021 federal convention Jay Woodruff was elected as a co-chair of the party's disability committee and thus became a member of the federal executive.[15]
During the convention, Woodruff put forward a motion demanding refunds for disabled delegates due to many accessibility issues and demanded the party apologize (Both of which the party did)[16]
Woodruff quickly gained attention for calling out many issues within the party, not just for disabled members, but all members as he highlighted the issues with finding candidates (as a provincial and federal riding association president)[17][18][19]
He condemned the Onrario NDP's lack of policy regarding disability supports[20]
As one of the lead organizers of a grassroots movement called NewDemoChat, woodruff hosted an event that lasted over 4 hours and had over 600 members airing their issues within the party from simply finding your riding association to candidate packages, and paper candidates as well as many other issues.[21]
His public resignation of all Ontario and federal NDP positions and roles in December of 2022 came as a result of he he called the party becoming an "ableist nightmare"[22]
Wet'suwet'en
In 2021, Wet'suwet'en land defenders faced a major escalation with heavily militarized RCMP raids in November, arresting dozens, including land defenders and journalists, for obstructing the Coastal GasLink (CGL) pipeline construction on their unceded territory.
Jay Woodruff (still an NDP executive at the time) had signed and championed a petition calling on then NDP leader Jagmeet Singh to demand that the B.C. NDP government and Ottawa pull RCMP officers out of Wet'suwet'en territory.
Woodruff said Singh's comments to date on the matter have not been strong and demanded Singh threaten to distance himself from the provincial party, if necessary.
"The B.C. NDP is acting against what the party stands for, what the membership stands for, and it must be called out,".[23][24]
Current Activities
Bill 5 Ontario
In 2025, Woodruff focused locally to help raise awareness and rally people against Bill 5 (The "Protect Ontario by Unleashing our Economy Act, 2025,") a significant piece of legislation that passed in June 2025.
Alongside his daughter and other community members they held protests to ensure people were aware of the deeper realities of the bill, its treatment of Indigenous rights, the environment, and its power over municipal governments (alongside the strong mayor powers).[25]
Indigenous Justice
Over all things that Woodruff works towards, Truth and reconciliation is something that he and his daughter care deeply about, From their attendance in support of the organizers in July 2021 along with Several hundred people who gathered on Parliament Hill before marching through downtown and calling for an independent investigation into Canada’s residential schools[26] to their participation annually in local Summer solstice and Walk of Sorrow on national truth and reconciliation day, they have committed to ensure they take every opportunity to learn and support the Every Child Matters movement, truth and reconciliation, No more Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirited People (MMIWG).
Community Building
Jay Woodruff has focused on building and supporting many community focused events such as developing and running a Science and Explorers youth program, helping to build a community garden, organizing protests in support of education workers, the environment, and supporting local community organizations.
Current Roles
Jay Woodruff is currently:
- Member of the Upper Canada District school board parent involvement committee (Second year).
- United Counties of Prescott and Russell Accessibility Advisory Committee member (First year)
- Clarence-Rockland Accessibility Committee member (4th year)
References
- ↑ "Elections".
- ↑ "Here's who's running, and who is acclaimed in the October 24 municipal and school board elections".
- ↑ ""I'm running for my daughter": Council candidate Woodruff". September 22, 2022.
- ↑ "Ontario Municipal Elections".
- ↑ https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/disability-program-warnings-1.5702645
- ↑ "Petition e-2821 - Petitions".
- ↑ https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/ottawa-federal-disability-benefit-rollout-1.7621605#:~:text=Before%20the%20legislation%20passed%2C%20Woodruff,approved%20for%20the%20tax%20credit.
- ↑ "'It's helping no one': Critics take aim at new Canada Disability Benefit | Watch News Videos Online".
- ↑ https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/ottawa-federal-disability-benefit-rollout-1.7621605#:~:text=Before%20the%20legislation%20passed%2C%20Woodruff,approved%20for%20the%20tax%20credit.
- ↑ "Petition e-6488 - Petitions".
- ↑ "Instagram".
- ↑ https://www.ourcommons.ca/Content/Committee/441/AMAD/Brief/BR11810052/br-external/WoodruffJay-e.pdf [bare URL PDF]
- ↑ https://www.parl.ca/Content/Committee/441/AMAD/Reports/RP12234766/amadrp02/amadrp02-e.pdf [bare URL PDF]
- ↑ "Advisory Committees".
- ↑ "2021 NDP Convention – Emergency Resolutions Debate and Leadership Review".
- ↑ "Singh's selective silence on Wet'suwet'en".
- ↑ "Meet the New Dissidents".
- ↑ "NDP candidate search". March 2, 2022.
- ↑ "Inside the Ontario NDP - Candidate Crisis - Blueprints of Disruption".
- ↑ "Disability Justice: Left off the Agenda - Blueprints of Disruption".
- ↑ "Grassroots NDP supporters want to wrestle party control from central command". June 12, 2022.
- ↑ "NDP faces criticism over concerns upcoming convention won't have virtual option". February 2, 2023.
- ↑ https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/wet-suwet-en-british-columbia-horgan-singh-1.6277824
- ↑ "Singh's selective silence on Wet'suwet'en".
- ↑ "Protest in Hawkesbury as legislature adopts Bill 5".
- ↑ https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/protesters-demand-inquiry-in-residential-schools
This article "Jay Woodruff" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:Jay Woodruff. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.
