Canada acceded to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and its First Optional Protocol in May 1976 and to its Second Optional Protocol in November 2005. With respect to the Covenant, in October 1979 Canada made a declaration with respect to Article 41, which recognizes the competence of the Human Rights Committee “to receive and consider communications to the effect that a State Party claims that another State Party is not fulfilling its obligations under the present Covenant.” Canada declared “that it recognizes the competence of the Human Rights Committee referred to in article 28 of the said Covenant to receive and consider communications submitted by another State Party, provided that such State Party has, not less than twelve months prior to the submission by it of a communication relating to Canada, made a declaration under article 41 recognizing the competence of the Committee to receive and consider communications relating to itself.”
Canada made no declarations or reservations with respect to the first and second Optional Protocols.