QUESTION PERIOD — Employment and Social Development
Canada Disability Benefit
June 29, 2021
My question is for the Government Representative in the Senate.
Senator Gold, allow me to thank you and your team for the work you do in this chamber.
Senator Plett and Senator Martin recently reminded us that people with disabilities, despite their serious needs and the barriers they face, are still not always the first to receive help from the Government of Canada. We’ve seen this during the pandemic.
I’d like to continue in the same vein and draw your attention to a recent Angus Reid survey of Canadians on the promise of a new Canadian disability benefit that would better serve people with disabilities.
We know that Budget 2021 provides for at least three years of consultations before this new benefit can be implemented. In my opinion, that’s too long.
As a matter of fact, Jewelles Smith, of the Council of Canadians with Disabilities, had this to say:
. . . our community often feels that we are in an endless consultation loop . . . . We always seem to be a community in waiting.
She is not alone. Indeed, 74% of respondents to the Angus Reid survey also find the timeline to be too slow.
Senator Gold, we also know that, in addition to the three years of consultations, even more time will be needed to implement the benefit. Why will the consultations last three years? Why will they take so long? Couldn’t the consultation period be shortened?
Before I answer, there is a very high and unacceptable feedback or pitch in the chamber. Whether it’s an alarm or something, I would ask that someone look into this.
Senator Gold, thank you very much for bringing that to our attention. I am now hearing it myself. We’ll pause for a moment until we figure out what it is.
Honourable senators, I’m now being told that the problem has been resolved, so the sitting is resumed.
Senator Gold, if you wish to continue with the answer to Senator Petitclerc’s question.
Thank you, senator, for your question and for the notice you gave me.
First, I’d like to point out that the government remains committed to the principle behind the Nothing Without Us strategy, and that’s why it initiated a consultation process to develop the first disability inclusion plan.
I certainly understand the frustration and opinion expressed in the letter and reflected in the survey that you mentioned.
That being said, the consultations are not just important; they are essential in order to respect the rights and interests of people with disabilities and the jurisdictions of the provinces and territories, who have a key role to play in this regard. The action plan is one of the commitments that the government made in the Speech from the Throne and it will include the following elements: a robust employment strategy, a better process to determine eligibility for government disability programs and benefits, and a new disability benefit modelled after the Guaranteed Income Supplement.
I was told that it will take time to develop the action plan, including the disability benefit that I mentioned, because, as I also mentioned, the government promised to work with the provinces and territories, as well as the community of persons with disabilities, to ensure that this benefit is designed around their actual needs.
Senator Gold, I would urge you to stress the importance of this because, as you and I both saw from the survey results, half the respondents with a disability doubt this bill will come to anything. Will you convey that message to the government to make sure it knows that the community of people living with a disability doubt the government will follow through on its strategy?
Absolutely. I will pass on those concerns, and I appreciate both your dedication to this cause and your kind words about my team. Thank you.
