CONVENTION ON THE RIGHTS OF PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES
Twenty years after World War II, people of Canada adopted the anti-discrimination legislation, and the Federal
Government enacted the Canadian Bill of Rights, and created Canada's pension plan.
Once that was done, the provinces got together with the federal government and put together the framework
for a universal health insurance plan that came to be known as Medicare which was later consolidated with
Canada Health Act.
Canadians are privileged in the sense that they can take advantage of a robust
human rights complaint system. Furthermore, if a person is not happy with the decision of a Tribunal, they
can make an appeal to the courts.
Discrimination against any person on the
basis of disability is a violation of the inherent dignity and worth of the human
person. Even though the Bill of Rights recognize the need to promote and protect the human rights of
all persons, there is almost no knowledge of what entails rights, and how they are violated among the
general public.
Despite various instruments and
undertakings by Canadian provincial and federal government, persons with disabilities
continue to face barriers in their
participation as equal members of society, and violations of their human rights
occur on a daily basis.
Their participationn in day-to-day decision-making processes about
policies and programmes is almost non-existent. Majority of persons with disabilities
live in appaling poverty, and even though the Preamble recognizes the critical need to
address the negative impact of poverty on persons with disabilities, nothing is being done,
and if it is, the results take two decades to materialize.
Education in a way that empowers persons with disabilities to stand
up and confidently say to a service provider,
"You are violationg my rights. You cannot do this.", is non-existent.
Even though we
have made some strides, there is a lot
to be done still. This application is designed to contribute towards that endeavour.
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Article by Dharmendra Singh