QUESTION PERIOD — Employment and Social Development
Canada Disability Benefit
May 21, 2024
My question is for the Government Representative in the Senate. According to a movement known as Disability Without Poverty, over 1.5 million Canadians living with a disability also live in poverty. That’s why hopes were so high when Parliament passed Bill C-22, An Act to reduce poverty and to support the financial security of persons with disabilities by establishing the Canada disability benefit, last June. The act created a framework, but the terms and conditions of the federal contribution were unknown at the time.
When the 2024 budget was tabled, we found out that the Canada disability benefit provides a maximum of $2,400 a year, or $200 a month, to low-income persons with disabilities starting in July 2025. This measure had been presented as a historic means of lifting people out of poverty. It came as a bitter disappointment to the national director of Disability Without Poverty, since the benefit falls far short of meeting their needs. As far as the CEO of the Daily Bread food bank is concerned, this $2,400 benefit is woefully inadequate. We understand that the new benefit complements the various programs offered by the provinces. How does the government —
Thank you, Senator Forest.
I thank the honourable senator for the question. As I’ve said a number of times very sincerely, the Government of Canada understands that people are disappointed in the benefit amount at this point in the program, even though that amount is historic.
As I’ve explained, this is what happens when extremely hard choices have to be made. Every single government that has to balance a great many different priorities while holding to a sensible, reasonable budget, faces this same challenge. The government understands that people are disappointed, but this is just the beginning of a historic process. The government will do better in the future.
We know this measure is in addition to benefits already provided by the provinces and territories, where support measures can vary widely. Going forward, might it be possible to even out the disparities from one province to the next for people with disabilities and people living in poverty?
Thank you for the question. Quite honestly, I can’t answer that directly. As you know, this has to do with provincial jurisdiction and health care agreements between the provinces and the federal government, but I’m sure this important issue will be addressed during negotiations in the coming years.
