CLF Honours International Day of Persons with Disabilities

December 3, 2025

Today is International Day of Persons with Disabilities. Christian Legal Fellowship celebrates the lives and contributions of persons with disabilities in Canada and around the world, who — along with every member of the human family — are born free and equal in dignity and rights (Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), Article 1).

Today, we honour the opening words of the UDHR, which read: “Whereas recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world …”.

Over the past number of years, CLF has partnered with other disability rights organizations to uphold the rights and dignity of every person, especially the equal right to life.

CLF will continue to advocate for justice and equal rights for persons with disabilities, urging Canada to uphold its international commitment to “take all necessary measures” to ensure the inherent right to life and its effective enjoyment by persons with disabilities on an equal basis with others (Article 10, Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities).

As previously reported, the United Nations’ Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) expressed great concern in its latest report about medical assistance in dying (“MAID”) expansion in Canada (published April 15, 2025).

As an NGO in special consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council, CLF contributed written submissions to the CRPD, expressing concern that the Canadian government has failed to respond meaningfully to previous concerns raised by UN human rights experts on shortcomings in Canada’s framework for supporting persons with disabilities, particularly in connection with euthanasia, also known as MAID. CLF has frequently highlighted these concerns in parliamentary consultations, submissions to lawmakers, and media reports.

“The way that our laws treat individuals in some of the most marginalized situations reflects in many ways who we are as a nation.”

CLF also remains committed to supporting legal scholarship on Canada’s international human rights commitments through its Annual Academic Symposium on Religion, Law & Human Rights.

Building on the momentum of the UDHR at 75 Symposium and collection, CLF’s 2026 “Realizing Rights Symposium” will commemorate the 50th anniversary of Canada’s ratification of two milestone human rights treaties: the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights (ICESCR). The way that our laws treat individuals in some of the most marginalized situations reflects in many ways who we are as a nation. Yet, Canada’s binding international human rights commitments have not always been fully weighed and applied in Canadian jurisprudence.

CLF will continue to strive towards a more just, equitable and life-affirming society, particularly for persons with disabilities, both in Canada and around the world.

Further Reading