A Step Forward, Miles to Go: The Truth About Ending the Spousal Cap

This article originally appeared in the Vancouver Sun on November 17th. Click here for the full version.

A Step Forward, Miles to Go: The Truth About Ending the Spousal Cap

Spencer van Vloten

The government is getting ahead of itself in claiming it has delivered on its commitment to end one of BC's most unjust policies.

Late last year, in a document called the Cooperation and Responsible Government Accord, the BC NDP and Greens made a long overdue promise to end one of BC’s most unfair policies.

The “spousal cap” — a rule that essentially cuts off people with disabilities from much needed provincial support if they have a working partner — has caused decades of harm.

Not only does this poverty-trapping policy ignore today’s financial realities and the increasing necessity of two incomes for households to stay afloat, it makes love and financial survival incompatible.

It has forced thousands to hide their relationships or give them up altogether to retain eligibility for disability assistance.

While others, trapped by financial dependence, can’t afford to leave unsafe or abusive situations.

Life was difficult enough for people with disabilities, who even with disability assistance have one of the highest poverty rates in BC, roughly $10,000 below the province’s poverty line.

And this policy adds yet another obstacle — one that isolates, punishes, and dehumanizes.

So I, along with the nearly 43,000 people who signed the petition I started calling for change, was encouraged last year when the government finally committed to ending it in 2025.

After months of radio silence following the commitment to "can the cap", I followed up with the Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction in May for an update.

The response — penned in unconvincing government-speak — was that work was being done.

When pressed further, they refused to say what that work consisted of, how much progress had been made, or when people could expect a change.

I questioned the need to keep this secret, but gave them the benefit of the doubt and chose to believe their response was genuine — that real progress had been made, and that they were not tight lipped merely because they had nothing good to say.

Fast forward to November 13th. 

After more silence and non-responses to inquiries, during which time I received hundreds of emails from desperate community members asking for an update, the government announced that they had finally delivered on their commitment.

Couples in which both members are disabled will now have their assistance increased to the same level that single persons on assistance receive, and the amount that people on disability can earn without penalty will be raised slightly.

That is good news to be fair.

However, it does not change the fact that the vast majority of disabled persons with a spouse - even those whose spouse makes only minimum wage - will still not be able to access desperately needed supports, or will have them slashed.

So, when the biggest barriers still loom large, I am not so quick to buy into the government's claim that they delivered on their commitment.

The tale of the spousal cap so far also brings me to two points, which extend beyond this issue.

First, good governance is not only about what gets done — it is also about when and how it gets done.

When lives and livelihoods hang in the balance, silence and canned responses which convey nothing are unacceptable.

They limit accountability, create confusion, and are self-defeating — eroding trust with the very public whose votes determine who will form government.

A healthy society must have an open, honest, ongoing dialogue between the government and citizens, and when that fades, so does the quality of our democracy.

Second, supporting people in need — whether that’s people with disabilities, seniors facing longer waits for care and housing, or families falling further behind — is not an act of generosity.

It is a responsibility.

It is how a government proves that its values extend beyond press releases and into the real lives of the people it claims to represent.

So, ending the spousal cap, like closing other gaps in our communities, is about more than policy; it is also about restoring trust, dignity, and faith that when leaders pledge to do better, their words will finally mean something.

The government made a promise, and though it has taken a step forward, it still has several more steps to go.

---

Spencer van Vloten is a nationally published writer, community advocate, and editor of BCDisability.com. He is a recipient of the BC Medal of Good Citizenship, Vancouver Excellence Award for Accessibility, and was the Rick Hansen Foundation's Difference Maker of the Year. You can find more of his work at SpencerV.ca or follow him on X at @SpencerVanCity.