Yves Savoie, President and Chief Executive Officer, MS Society of Canada, said, “The MS Society of Canada is delighted that the two levels of government supported the ratification.

“We look forward, on behalf of people with MS and other disabilities, to helping build a more inclusive and accessible Canada.”

Marie White, National Chairperson of the Council of Canadians with Disabilities, said the ratification was, “a historic event for Canadians with disabilities. It signals the end of an era where people with disabilities were seen as objects of charity. Ratification of the Convention makes real our goal of recognition as full and equal citizens of Canada.”

What is the UN Convention?

The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities is an international human rights instrument intended to protect the rights and dignity of persons with disabilities.

Parties to the Convention are required to promote, protect and ensure the full enjoyment of human rights by persons with disabilities, and to ensure that they enjoy full equality under the law.

So far, 144 countries are signatories to the Convention, and 82 have ratified it, meaning they have adopted its principles into national legislation. France, Latvia, Mauritius, Nicaragua, Ukraine and Zambia have all ratified the Convention in 2010.

Check whether your country has signed or ratified the Convention