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The Latimer case directly concerned the rights of persons with disabilities. Mr. Latimer's view was that a parent has the right to kill a child with a disability if that parent decides the child's quality of life no longer warrants its continuation. CCD explained to the court and to the public how that view threatens the lives of people with disabilities and is deeply offensive to fundamental constitutional values.

CCD has worked for almost 35 years to build a more inclusive and accessible Canada.  Our work has had significant results.   Through the hard work of CCD volunteers and staff, in partnership with others, we have made transportation systems more accessible, elections more barrier free, students have better access to education and jobs, human rights have been expanded through court interventions, the Registered Disability Savings Plan and tax measures have put more dollars in  people’s pockets, new data is being genera

CCD is committed to the principles of self-determination and the positive promotion of the image of Canadians with disabilities in society in a manner that is consistent with the principles of equality, personal security, freedom of conscience and human dignity.

CCD believes that the devaluation of the lives and experiences of persons with disabilities has been used to justify acts of violence against people with disabilities, including the murder of people with disabilities.

Charter of Rights and Freedoms

The Charter establishes the rights and freedoms Canadians believe are necessary in a free and democratic society.

Canadian Human Rights Commission

The Canadian Human Rights Commission administers the Canadian Human Rights Act and ensures compliance with the Employment Equity Act.

Canadian Human Rights Act

CCD's approach to international cooperation is based upon human rights and our disability rights principles of equality, consumer-control, self-representation, citizenship, and empowerment. Canadians with disabilities focus on the need to remove barriers to participation that individuals with disabilities face within their communities. CCD's International Development Committee provides leadership on international issues.

The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) is the first human rights convention of the 21st century. The CRPD is an international law that provides guidance to countries on how to meet the human rights of persons with disabilities. The CRPD also has an Optional Protocol, which is another international law that provides a mechanism for individuals and groups, who have exhausted all domestic avenues of redress, to have claims of discrimination heard by the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

CCD is a national human rights organization of people with disabilities working for an inclusive and accessible Canada.

Mission

The Council of Canadians with Disabilities (CCD) is a social justice organization of people with all disabilities that champions the voices of people with disabilities, advocating an inclusive and accessible Canada, where people with disabilities have full realization of their human rights, as described in the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

CCD refers to its Board of Directors as the National Council of Representatives. The National Council of Representatives elects the CCD Executive Committee. The current CCD Executive Committee includes: