Government of Canada Tables Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities
December 4, 2009
Government of Canada Tables Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities – Canadians with Disabilities Celebrate Good News across the Country and See an End in Sight to institutionalization and 2nd Class Citizenship!
The Honourable Peter MacKay, Minister of National Defence and Minister for the Atlantic Gateway, on behalf of the Honourable Lawrence Cannon, Minister of Foreign Affairs, announced that the Government of Canada tabled the United Nation’s Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, fittingly on Dec. 3, the United Nation’s Day for Persons with Disabilities.
On Dec. 2, The Honourable Diane Finley, Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development spoke at Independent Living Canada’s annual UN Day event and hinted that there was cause to celebrate this year.
The Canadian disability community has been anxiously waiting for an announcement on the Government of Canada’s intention to ratify this groundbreaking international human rights treaty since Canada was a signatory on its opening day on March 30, 2007. For almost two years, the Government of Canada has been consulting with persons with disabilities, the provincial and territorial governments and finally the waiting game is over. The disability community has been cautiously optimistic yet nervous until yesterday. Kelly Nadeau, Independent Living Canada’s National Chairpersons stated “Today we can relax and celebrate knowing that the Government of Canada firmly believes in the full and equal citizenship of all persons in Canada including people with disabilities and is willing to lead the way!.”
For Independent Living Canada, we are also particularly excited to see a specific article of the convention devoted to Living Independently and Being Included in the Community (Article 19) which enshrines the right of all people with disabilities to live in the community and to be fully included and participating in the community. Persons with disabilities now have the same opportunities as other people to choose who they live with, where they live, and are not forced to live in institutions or in other living arrangements that they do not like. By doing so the Convention states that all people with disabilities must have a range of choices on where and how to live in the community, including personal assistance, to help with inclusion and living in the community and preventing people with disabilities from being isolated.
