We have just received a letter from the Office of Disability Issues informing us that the Protocol's ratification is expected "in the next few months".  Below is the letter in its entirety:  

Dear Mr. Amenta,

Thank you for your message and your interest in the Accessible Canada Act and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, addressed to the Honourable Kirsty Duncan, then Minister of Sport and Persons with Disabilities.

I am pleased to inform you that the Government of Canada has been working with provincial and territorial governments toward a decision on Canada’s possible accession to the Optional Protocol. Provinces and territories must undertake their own internal processes prior to providing their formal support on accession.

A decision regarding accession to international human rights treaties, including the Optional Protocol, must be preceded by analyses of domestic law, and consultations with civil society groups in the spirit of engaging the disability community, as set out in the Convention.

In keeping with this and with the disability community’s principle of “nothing about us without us”, our government took the necessary time to conduct civil society consultations on Canada’s possible accession to the Optional Protocol. As expected, there was strong support for accession, but the consultations also provided additional information on current and possible barriers and capacity within the disability community to use the Optional Protocol. A report on these consultations is available at: https://www.canada.ca/en/ employment-social-development/ programs/barriers-social- economic-inclusion/ consultation-optional- protocol/report.html.

In November 2017, the Government of Canada took the next step toward accession by tabling the Optional Protocol in the House of Commons. Tabling is a necessary part of the federal process that will allow Canada to take the remaining actions to bring the Optional Protocol into force.

Our government is currently seeking the formal support of all provincial and territorial governments, as the Convention and Optional Protocol have implications on matters within their jurisdictions.  Provincial and territorial governments are currently working toward completing their own internal processes to provide this formal support.

We expect the process towards possible accession to the Optional Protocol will be completed within the next few months.

The last step in the process would be the formal deposit of Canada’s instrument of ratification with the United Nations.

Thank you for your interest in Canada’s work on disability rights.

Sincerely,

Krista Wilcox, Director General, Office for Disability Issues

Employment and Social Development Canada