As reported in the last update, the federal government is conducting a consultation to find out how ratifying the Protocol will impact on Canadians. Thousands of you have already written comments to this petition saying how important it is for you or someone you care for. Please write a submission, or borrow from mine below, and email it to the following address by March 16: NC-ENGAGEMENT-MOBILISATION-GD@hrsdc-rhdcc.gc.ca Thanks for your support, Salvatore Amenta Here is my submission: How will ratifying the protocol affect Canadians? Before answering this question, perhaps we should ask why it is being posed at all. Minister Dion announced in December of 2016 the government’s intention to ratify the protocol, yet it is consulting Canadians now. Normally, consultation precedes decision-making, but for some reason the process is being reversed. Is the reason to ensure that Canadians are on side in case a province or territory balks at ratification, i.e., to persuade holdbacks to support ratification since Canadians already do? In that case, all the power to the Trudeau government -- though frankly, none of this should be necessary because all provinces and territories had to be on side -- and they WERE -- when Canada signed the convention! Therefore, unless ratifying the CRPD was just an empty gesture, Canada should honour its commitment by ratifying the Protocol without further delay. There was really no need for more consultation. Now back to the main question. In a perfect world, we would not need the Protocol because multiple recourses are available already in Canada. But when rights are violated and authorities are slow or reluctant to respond -- as they have been in Teresa Pocock’s case and thousands of others -- the Protocol can serve as a critical last resort. Canadians can complain to the committee under the CRPD, which in turn can demand accountability from Canada, its provinces and territories. As Canadians we are rightly proud of our commitment to inclusion, diversity and accessibility, but when our reach exceeds our grasp then ultimate safeguards are absolutely vital. Canada's decency can be measured by its determination to safeguard the rights of persons with disabilities, who are among its most vulnerable citizens. We can rest assured only when disability rights are properly safeguarded in Canada by ratifying the Protocol.