Publications

December 8, 2020

Claiming the right to housing and the rights of persons with disabilities to community inclusion

The Council of Canadians with Disabilities (CCD), National Right to Housing Network (NHRN) and Centre for Equality Rights in Accommodation (CERA) are inviting you to join us for a webinar in honour of International Human Rights Day on: “Claiming the right to housing and  the rights of persons with disabilities to community inclusion” via Zoom at 1pm ET on Thursday, December 10th.  Read more.

April 2, 2019

During Official Visit UN Special Rapporteur on Disability Rights Looking at Canada's Record on Disability

I think it is very helpful to have an external expert come and look at things on the ground. I think it will be very instructive for us and she has the ability as an independent UN expert, who is not beholding to anyone here in Canada, to say exactly what she thinks.  So, I think she will shine a light on what she considers to be areas of concern.  I will be very honest about this and say the fact that the government has invited her to do this, I think, is a sign of good faith on the part of the government, as well.  It is a sign of commitment on the part of the government to try and move things forward on the disability agenda.  Read more.

August 20, 2018

OPEN LETTER URGES PRIME MINISTER TO MAKE GOOD ON HIS COMMITMENT TO THE RIGHT TO HOUSING

At a press conference in Ottawa advocates released an open letter to Prime Minister Trudeau signed by over 170 organizations and prominent Canadians urging the Prime Minister to make good on his commitment to the right to housing by enshrining that right in upcoming National Housing Strategy legislation. Read more.

December 21, 2018

Happy Holidays 2018

As 2018 winds down, I want to wish everyone in the disability community and our allies a happy holiday season and to encourage us all to celebrate two important milestones that have been achieved this year:

• Canada’s accession to the Optional Protocol of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) which enables the CRPD Committee to hear complaints about rights violations from Canadians with disabilities, and
• Bill C-81, the Accessible Canada Act, named the Canadian Human Rights Commission (CHRC) as the body responsible for monitoring the Government of Canada’s implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, as called for in paragraph 2 of article 33 of the CRPD.

  Read more.

November 28, 2018

CCD Election Results - 2nd Vice Chair

CCD Council has elected a new officer to the Executive Committee: John Rae as 2nd Vice Chair. Read more.

November 26, 2018

Supporting Recognition of ASL/LSQ by Canada

CCD fully supports Deaf Canadians’ call for ASL/LSQ to be recognized as official Canadian languages, because freedom of expression is a human right. Read more.

December 16, 2020

Continuing to Develop Human Rights Capacity

You should check out the Disability Rights Online website.  This website connects visitors with self-paced online training on human rights, other resources and contact information for expert speakers on human rights. Read more.

December 3, 2020

December 3, 2020: "Building Back Better: toward a disability-inclusive, accessible and sustainable post COVID-19 World"

What gives us any assurance that one day, post pandemic, we will be included? There is nothing preventing governments, industry and society to shift from exclusionary systemic discrimination during this pandemic to an inclusive approach now. We do not need to wait one minute more or have one more committee study the problem or one more consultation. Want to build back better? Then society must be better and do better now!

  Read more.

November 7, 2020

MacLean Case, a Nova Scotia Court of Appeal Case

The national organizations will support the appeal by the DRC by arguing that the Board of Inquiry's analysis of systemic discrimination was flawed. The national organizations also wish to highlight the potential negative impacts of the decision on access to justice for persons with disabilities. The Board determined that it would have to separately consider the negative impacts of institutionalization on each impacted individual in order to determine whether there was discrimination in each individual case. If accepted, this type of analysis could prevent national organizations such as CACL, CCD and PFC from bringing forward systemic discrimination complaints and would force individuals into time consuming, costly, and frequently inaccessible legal proceedings.  Read more.

February 14, 2017

COLLABORATION: THE KEY TO ACCESS AND INCLUSION

CCD is interested in developing an ongoing collaborative working relationship with Parks Canada that will support increased access and inclusion in all of Parks Canada's activities. Read more.

April 19, 2016

A Modernised Court Challenges Program of Canada: A perspective from the Council of Canadians with Disabilities

The Court Challenges Program of Canada (“CCPC”) is essential to ensure access to justice for persons with disabilities in accordance with article 12 and 13 of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. If persons with disabilities do not have the means to access the courts, the rights to equality guaranteed in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and in human rights legislation are hallow and meaningless. Read more.

January 29, 2016

CCD Submission to Special Joint Committee on Physician Assisted Dying

The Supreme Court of Canada in Carter emphasized that there needs to be a balanced system that both enables access by patients to physician-assisted suicide and voluntary euthanasia (PAD/VE), and protects persons who are vulnerable and may be induced to commit suicide. The Council of Canadians with Disabilities (CCD) strongly believes that a minimal but mandatory vulnerability assessments, an independent review process with prior authorization, along with Criminal Code protection of the vulnerable are essential for this purpose.  Read more.