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Empower U: Learn to Access Your Disability Rights Training on Canadian Human Rights, the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) and its Optional Protocol (OP) training aims to increase awareness of how to address discrimination using more familiar Canadian human rights laws such as Human Rights Codes and the newer international Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). This is training for persons with disabilities by persons with disabilities. The training is part of a project funded by Employment and Social Development Canada and implemented by the Council of Canadians with Disabilities (CCD) in collaboration with Canadian Multicultural Disability Centre Inc. (CMDCI), Citizens With Disabilities – Ontario (CWDO), Manitoba League of Persons with Disabilities (MLPD) and National Educational Association of Disabled Students (NEADS). Read more.
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A quarterly newsletter from CCD.
Publications
CCD keeps its members and others informed by publishing reports and newsletters.
Voice of Our Own
This quarterly newsletter updates the community on the activities of CCD and its member organizations.
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.
Chairperson's Update
In this monthly newsletter, CCDs Chairperson shares information about the work undertaken by the National Council of Representatives, Committees, volunteers and staff.
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.
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.
CCD Weblog
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!
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.
Reports
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.