The federal government has announced that it will begin discussions with provinces and territories to adopt the optional protocol that establishes a complaint mechanism under the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. When Canada ratified that Convention it excluded the provision for a complaints process.
This is good news for several reasons:
1. The rights of children with disabilities are addressed in this Convention as well. The upcoming discussions will be an opportunity to discuss implementation and mechanisms to raise issues and seek redress in Canada, as well as through the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. This process could address the issues raised by the CCRC in the chapter on Children with Disabilities in the last comprehensive review of children’s rights in Canada.
2. The process and outcomes of these discussions may be useful for other aspects of implementing children’s rights in Canada.
3. The CCRC has been advocating for Canada to ratify the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of Child that would provide a complaints process for children. It is on a list of international human rights advances under consideration. The government has now announced that they are moving ahead with two of the high priorities, the Convention Against Torture and the Complaints Process for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. We hope they will consider the Optional Protocol for the Convention on the Rights of the Child soon after these.