Question Period Note: The Proposed Canada Disability Benefit

When will this government address poverty for persons with disabilities? When will this government follow through on its promise to re-table the Canada Disability Benefit Act?

• On June 2, 2022, I was proud to stand before the House and retable Canada Disability Benefit Act.

• This is a very important piece of legislation. We know that working age persons with disabilities are twice as likely to live in poverty and less likely to be able to earn income through employment compared to other working age Canadians.

• That is why our government is taking action through the creation of a new Canada Disability Benefit.
• I know there is strong support for this legislation and we will work with the other parties to continue to build this support to meet the objectives of this legislation to reduce poverty amongst working age persons with disabilities.

• In the spirit of “nothing without us”, our government will continue our engagement with the disability community on the design and delivery of the benefit.

• We will also continue our engagement with provinces and territories to ensure persons with disabilities are better off because of this measure.

On June 2, 2022, the Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion, Carla Qualtrough, reintroduced in the House of Commons the Canada Disability Benefit (CDB) Act . This Act is framework legislation, establishing the benefit and enshrining the main objective of the benefit which is to reduce poverty and support the financial security of working-age Canadians with disabilities by supplementing existing income support measures, such as provincial and territorial social assistance. The details of the benefit will follow in regulation. This approach will allow the Government to continue engaging on the specific design of the proposed benefit while the Bill moves through the parliamentary process.

The 2020 Speech from the Throne committed to bringing forward a new CDB. As a cornerstone in the Government of Canada’s Disability Inclusion Action Plan (DIAP), the purpose of the CDB is to reduce poverty and support the financial security of working-age persons with disabilities.

The Government of Canada introduced framework legislation for the CDB (Bill C-35) in the House of Commons on June 22, 2021. Bill C-35 did not go into the details (such as eligibility criteria, application processes, or violations) but proposed that these follow in regulations. Bill C-35 died on the order paper upon prorogation of Parliament.

At the beginning of this new mandate, the Government committed to moving forward with the introduction of legislation and the creation of the CDB in Minister Qualtrough’s mandate letter.
As currently envisioned, the benefit would:
• Supplement existing federal, provincial and territorial (F-P/T) income support;
• Help address inequalities in accessing the current F-P/T social safety net;
• Minimize negative impacts on work incentives; and
• Be income-tested.

It would not:
• Replace existing F-P/T income benefits;
• Equalize or eliminate variation in income supports across jurisdictions;
• Provide any supplementary disability supports or services; or
• Be subject to P/T clawbacks.

Engagement:

In the spirit of “Nothing Without Us,” where persons with disabilities have demanded to be included in the development of policies and programs that affect their lives, the design of the proposed CDB is being informed by ongoing stakeholder engagement. There have been a number of engagement activities to date:
• A DIAP Online Consultation Survey (which ran between June 4, 2021 and September 30, 2021) and included questions on the CDB;
• Four DIAP/CDB roundtables:
 Roundtable with Minister Qualtrough, MP Ryan Turnbull and Disability Organizations to launch online survey (June 4, 2021);
 Roundtable with the Prime Minister, Minister Qualtrough and Persons with Disabilities (June 25, 2021);
 Roundtable with Minister Qualtrough and Disability Without Poverty (July 27, 2021);
 Roundtable with Minister Qualtrough and Disability Organizations (July 28, 2021).
• Four CDB roundtables:
 Roundtable with Disability Researchers and Academics (January 14, 2022);
 Roundtable with Organizations who work with members of Racialized Communities (January 28, 2022);
 Roundtable with National Disability Organizations (February 15, 2022);
 Roundtable with Disability Service Providers (February 28, 2022)
Concurrently, community-led engagement efforts are underway to inform the DIAP and CDB:
• Funding agreements in place with National Disability Organizations to lead community-level engagement (funded through the Social Development Partnerships Program-Disability component).
• Funding through ESDC Engagement Protocol Agreements for National Indigenous Organizations to provide community perspectives.

Also in summer 2021, F/P-T Ministers responsible for Social Services and Disability met for an initial discussion on the proposed benefit. Since then, a F/P-T phase one of a workplan was approved (information gathering F/P-T programs and services). Potential F-P/T Ministers meeting in the fall to discuss next steps.

None