Will Trudeau and Freeland deliver for disabled Canadians?
BC Disability
April 10th, 2024
Do Canadians support a new disability benefit? The answer is overwhelmingly so! But they have misgivings about whether it will be delivered.
Check out the following release from Disability Without Poverty and Daily Bread Food Bank to learn more.
58% DON'T TRUST THE LIBERAL GOVERNMENT TO DELIVER
In a survey conducted by the Angus Reid Institute (ARI), in partnership with Daily Bread
Food Bank and Disability Without Poverty, Canadians were asked about their views on the
Canada Disability Benefit.
Although results found overwhelming support for the benefit, Canadians are critical of the pace of implementation and do not trust that government will follow through.
The survey conducted by ARI found the following:
• Overall, nine-in-ten (91%) say they support the proposed Canada Disability Benefit,
including at least four-in-five of past Conservative voters (83%), and nearly all past
Liberal (98%), NDP (99%) and Bloc Québécois (98%) voters – an incredible level of
support from Canadians.
• Most Canadians (61%) believe current financial support available to Canadians living
with disabilities is inadequate (38%) or far too little (23%).
• Three-in-five (60%) Canadians living with a health issue that severely limits their day-
to-day activities say they are often (35%) or all the time (25%) stressed about money.
• Only one-in-20 (5%) say they are confident the federal government will follow
through, while 45 per cent doubt it will and 13 per cent say they are certain the
benefit will never be distributed.
• Food bank visits in Canada have increased at an unprecedented 32 per cent year-
over-year. In Toronto, one in ten people are now having to rely on food banks to
make ends meet – this is double the rate of last year.
Individuals living with a disability are disproportionately impacted by food insecurity,
facing additional expenses such as medical costs, special transportation, and dietary
needs.
One in seven people who access food banks nationally rely on provincial
disability income supports – in many provinces, this means living more than $800 below
the poverty line each month.
Income supports like the Canada Disability Benefit can greatly reduce the severity of food
insecurity, going a long way in ensuring people can live a life of dignity and meet their most
basic needs.
Calls To Action
Over 60 Liberal Members of Parliament (MPs) recently co-signed a letter calling on Prime
Minister Trudeau and Deputy Minister Freeland to fully fund Bill C-22, The Canada Disability
Benefit Act in the upcoming federal budget. This call to action is significant and solidifies that
this benefit is a core tenant of social policy.
Disability Without Poverty and Daily Bread Food Bank, in partnership with a coalition of over
40 organizations, are calling for a fully funded Canada Disability Benefit that addresses
three essential elements:
1. Bringing eligible recipients to a minimum of the Market Basket Measure
(MBM), Canada's Official Poverty Line. As there are increased costs of living with a
disability, such as special transportation, dietary needs, and uninsured medical
expenses, the benefit should ideally bring recipients to up to 30 per cent above the
poverty line. Payments should be monthly, indexed to inflation, and portable
throughout Canada.
2. The benefit must be efficient and seamless for those living with a disability.
Canadians with disabilities who receive provincial disability supports should
automatically qualify for the benefit, and their existing benefits should not be clawed
back.
3. The benefit must be equitable and barrier-free. It should operate from a broad and
inclusive definition of disability – one that encompasses all disabilities, including
those that are invisible and episodic.
If the benefit limits eligibility through a restrictive definition of disability, this program will fail to achieve its core objective.
In a time of austerity, many will question whether Canada can afford this benefit, but it costs
more money for our government to ignore this issue. The cost of poverty in Ontario alone is
estimated to be between 27-33 billion dollars annually.
For Canadians concerned about government debt, a fully funded benefit will reduce these downstream costs, all while helping Canadians with disabilities live a life of dignity.
Visit fundthebenefit.ca to learn more.
Spencer van Vloten is the editor of BC Disability. To get in touch, send an email to spencer@bcdisability.com!
