QUESTION PERIOD — Employment and Social Development
Access to Benefits
June 4, 2026
Senator Moreau, the Accessible Canada Act promises a barrier-free Canada, but enforcement mechanisms needed to achieve that goal are weak, and many Canadians living with disabilities have yet to experience any improvements. For example, the Canada Disability Benefit provides only $200 per month, insufficient for the many living below the poverty line. Eligibility is also tied to the Disability Tax Credit, which the government’s own advisory committee has said excludes approximately one quarter of applicants; and 85% of dentists report frequent claim denials under the Canadian Dental Care Plan, while preauthorization delays discourage patients from getting the needed treatment.
We already know this government plans to destroy pharmacare and dental care. When will the Carney corporatist government implement the accountability and enforcement measures necessary to ensure that Canadians living with disabilities can actually eat —
Thank you, Senator McPhedran.
Let me share a few things that the government has done for affordability. We are lowering taxes for 22 million Canadians. We are cutting the consumer carbon tax. We are protecting pharmacare, contrary to your assumption that the government wants to destroy it. I’m not sure where you got that from. It’s quite the contrary; we are protecting it. Please stop asking questions based on incorrect facts. That is not the way we should work in this chamber.
We are lowering requirements to access the Disability Tax Credit. We are providing immediate relief on groceries. Tomorrow, June 5, families will receive their money. That is what the government is doing for affordability to help Canadians in all sectors of our economy, help create jobs and help grow our economy.
When the economy is doing well, it’s possible to help people in need.
I’m not sure the trickle-down effect actually works for people living so deeply in poverty. Can the government provide a clear timeline for implementing tangible, life-improving supports; tracking and reporting progress; and keeping promises to Canadians with disabilities who are living in poverty?
If you want a specific timeline, it’s June 5 — tomorrow. People will receive money through bills that we have adopted here in this room, and the government is working on a daily basis to ensure that affordability is a main criterion of its actions.
We are acting on many aspects of the Canadian economy to create jobs and to ensure that our economy is resilient; and if our economy is resilient, we’ll be in good shape to help people in need.
