CANADA SIGNS UN CONVENTION ON THE RIGHTS OF PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES

March 30, 2007

The Honourable Peter MacKay, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, today signaled Canada’s intention to be a signatory to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

“By signing the Convention, we are demonstrating our leadership and the importance we attach to the rights of persons with disabilities,” said Minister MacKay. “The commitment of Canada’s New Government with respect to issues of disability is clear. We have a strong commitment to ensuring that persons with disabilities enjoy full participation in society and can contribute to the community to their full potential.”

Canada’s New Government has introduced a number of measures since early 2006. For example, it has:

•         established an Enabling Accessibility Fund, with $45 million over three years to contribute to the cost of improving physical accessibility for people with disabilities;
•         established a new Registered Disability Savings Plan to help parents and others save toward the long-term financial security of people with severe disabilities;
•         provided $30 million over five years for the Spinal Cord Injury Transnational Research Network, established by the Rick Hansen Foundation; and
•         provided $20 million toward the operating costs of the 2010 Paralympic Games in British Columbia.

The Convention was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on December 13, 2006. The Government of Canada will continue to work very closely with the provinces and territories toward ratification.

Minister MacKay took part in a ceremony in Ottawa today to show support for the Convention. Ambassador John McNee, Canada’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, will sign this international agreement on Canada’s behalf.

For further information, media representatives may contact:

Foreign Affairs Media Relations Office
Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada
613-995-1874
http://www.international.gc.ca

Backgrounder

There are 650 million people in the world who live with a disability, accounting for around 10 percent of the world’s population. The World Bank estimates that 20 percent of the world’s poorest people are disabled.

This Convention constitutes a historic step in ensuring that persons with disabilities enjoy full participation in society and can contribute to the community to their full potential.

The Convention is the first major UN human rights treaty to be adopted in the 21st century. It was negotiated in record time, and civil society was extensively consulted.

Although core UN human rights treaties already guarantee human rights and fundamental freedoms to all persons, including persons with disabilities, most do not specifically prohibit discrimination on the ground of disability. This gap in the international human rights system, coupled with growing recognition in the international community that persons with disabilities are subject to systemic and widespread human rights abuses, was the rationale for the Convention.

Canada’s signature of the Convention complements its domestic approach to equality and human rights for persons with disabilities. Canada currently has in place robust equality and non-discrimination protection for persons with disabilities.