VI. Conclusion
This chapter has provided an overview of Canadian legislation, case law, and policy, guided by DRPI's National Law and Policy Monitoring Template. It has covered the federal and a representative sample of provincial jurisdictions with respect to how Canada implements some of the major substantive norms of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. This analysis is only a starting point. This chapter has not attempted to complete the methodology set out in the Template by asking how Canadian law and policy instruments are functioning in practice, and how well they satisfy the articles of the Convention. It is in fact likely that simply stating the ideals of disability equity contained in Canadian law, paints an overly optimistic picture of life with a disability in Canada. Nonetheless, this chapter takes a step toward addressing larger issues. With a thematic presentation of sources of law and policy, one can proceed to seek input from community organizations and persons with disabilities about their experiences with these regimes, in order to identify gaps and strategies for improvement. The legal framework can also be compared with those in other countries, in order to learn from other approaches. In these ways, national law and policy, through reform and improved enforcement, can become better able to fulfill the requirements of the Convention, and to enrich society and the lives of persons with disabilities.