Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff made the following statement after the Harper government announced it would sign the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities:

“Today, disabled people in Canada and around the world have cause to celebrate. After three years of delay and behind more than 75 other countries, I applaud the Harper government’s decision to finally agree to sign the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

The Convention was adopted on December 13, 2006 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, and became opened for signature in March 2007. The Convention marks a shift in attitude and approach towards people with disabilities.  With the 2010 Paralympic Games opening tomorrow in Vancouver, its adoption couldn’t be more timely.

Thanks to advances in medicine and technology, disabled Canadians are able to participate in society and make contributions in ways their predecessors could only dream of. But the UN Convention recognizes that there is still more work to be done to ensure that disabled people have the same fundamental rights, privileges and freedoms as all other citizens. It is more than wishful thinking – it is a call to arms for the international community to turn its principles into concrete actions that will continue to break down barriers for disabled people.

On behalf of the Liberal Party of Canada and our Parliamentary caucus, I call on the Harper government to work with Canada’s disabled community to ensure all disabled Canadians can fully participate in the physical, social, economic and cultural environment in Canadian society, and to ensure they have access to the health care and education that they need to succeed.”