OTTAWA: The Canadian Human Rights Commission recognizes and commends the federal, provincial and territorial governments of Canada for the multitude of initiatives, programs and policies designed to promote the inclusion of persons with disabilities in Canadian society, as enumerated in Canada’s First Report under the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD).

The Canadian Human Rights Commission sees the CRPD, which came into force for Canada in April 2010, as a critically important milestone in the struggle of people living with disabilities to enjoy the same rights and opportunities as any other member of Canadian society.

It is an unfortunate fact of life that significant disparities persist between persons with disabilities and the general population in terms of access to education, employment, housing and other indicators of quality of life. These disparities were extensively documented in the Canadian Human Rights Commission’s recent Report on Equality Rights of People with Disabilities, published in 2012.

The Commission plans to use the 2012 report in the future as a benchmark against which to monitor improvements in quality of life for persons with disabilities.

It is the Commission’s fervent hope that the efforts and investments of governments across Canada will narrow the gaps that condemn so many people with disabilities to life-long conditions of disadvantage, and that improvements in social and economic inclusion will be reflected in the next Equality Rights report, to be completed within five years.

In the meantime, the Commission will prepare its own shadow report on Canada’s international commitments under the CRPD. This will include the Commission’s commentary on the official Government of Canada report as well as feedback from stakeholder organizations.

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