Blog post: International Day for Persons with Disabilities and Hopes for the Canada Disability Benefit

Written by Jennifer Scherer, ESPC volunteer

December 3^rd is the International Day for Persons with Disabilities to promote the well-being and rights of people living with disabilities. The Government of Canada passed the Accessible Canada Act in 2019, which promises to identify and remove barriers to inclusion for people with disabilities. One barrier many people with disabilities face is poverty- 27% of people who live in Canada are disabled, and from this group 16.5% of disabled people in Canada live in poverty (Disability Without Poverty, 2024). 41% of Canadians who live in poverty are disabled (Disability Without Poverty, 2024). This reality does not match Canadian values, as 89% of Canadians believe that people with disabilities should not live in poverty (Disability Without Poverty, 2024).

People with disabilities who live in poverty have been candid about the impact of poverty on their lives.  People share that they are unable to meet their basic needs without support from others, have unstable housing, struggle with food insecurity, and cannot access community services or medical care due to extra transportation costs (Disability Without Poverty, 2024). People share that currently basic necessities are out of touch because of the limitations of poverty and that people feel more hindered by poverty than by their disabilities (Disability Without Poverty, 2024).

Over the last several years, Canadians with disabilities were given extra reasons to hope for a better future- the federal government was working on a federal disability benefit which they promised would lift people with disabilities out of poverty (Employment and Social Development Canada, 2022). The government had also promised to consult directly with Canadians with disabilities to build the program to decide who would be eligible for the benefit, how much the benefit would provide every month, and how to apply for the benefit (Employment and Social Development Canada, 2022). People across Canada started to dream about how their lives could change with the promised benefit and were hopeful that the Canada Disability Benefit would help them pay for housing, food, medication, healthcare treatments, mobility equipment, transportation, and would allow for greater independence and dignity (Disability Without Poverty, 2024).

Advocacy groups across Canada published recommendations about the proposed Canada Disability Benefit would look like. Disability with Possibility, released March 2024 by Disability without Poverty, is one such report, gathering the hopes of Canadians across the country together to present to the government. They made seven recommendations for the Canada Disability Benefit: 1. Establish the program quickly as the need is urgent; 2. consider what is needed for Canadians to have a life with dignity and possibility; 3. consider the extra costs of disability when designing the benefit; 4. have inclusive and reasonable eligibility requirements; 5. have a simple and accessible application process; 6. make the program equitable and responsive and  7. include people with disabilities in developing, implementing, and monitoring the program (Disability Without Poverty, 2024).

When considering the amount of the disability benefit, the report emphasized the importance of raising the incomes of people with disabilities to above the poverty line. There are different ways to measure poverty. Statistics Canada (2024) publishes the Market Basket Measure (MBM). This tool publishes poverty thresholds for regions across Canada that shows the household income required for a family of four to maintain a basic standard of living (Gustajtis & Heisz, 2023). The Market Basket Measure in 2023 for the Edmonton area was $57,341 of household income to meet the basic needs of a family of four (Statistics Canada, 2024). The Market Basket Measure does not account for the extra costs that people with disabilities face everyday, such as costs for adaptive equipment, medications, and accessible transportation and housing costs (Disability Without Poverty, 2024).

The report also made recommendations on how people should qualify for Canada Disability Benefit. A simple, inclusive, and accessible application process and eligibility requirements were recommended (Disability Without Poverty, 2024). Applying for government benefits has typically been an extensive and challenging process. Many people with disabilities have already completed complex applications for provincial disability benefits. The more complex a process is, the more people struggle to access the benefits they require.

The report was concerned that applicants to the Canada Disability Benefit may receive unintended consequences by applying, such as clawbacks to provincial disability plans (Disability Without Poverty, 2024). Contributors to the Disability with Possibility report were concerned that after going through the application process, people with disabilities would be no further ahead than they were before. This concern is validated when we look at current Alberta policies- AISH recipients are required to apply for CPP Disability, and their AISH benefits are reduced by the amount of their CPP benefit (Government of Alberta, 2024).

The Disability with Possibility report was published March 2024 and in April 2024 the federal government released the proposed details of what Canada Disability Benefit would look like. People across Canada were disappointed (Inclusion Alberta, 2024; Enough for All, 2024), as the details fell far short of expectations in three main areas:

• Financial Impact- The announced monthly maximum benefit amount of $200 per month, or $2,400 per year fell far short of the promise to lift people with disabilities out of poverty.
• Application Process- When Canada Disability Benefit rolls out in July 2025, only people currently receiving the Disability Tax Credit will be eligible to apply for Canada Disability Benefit. This makes the application process complex and introduces additional barriers to accessing the benefit.
• Meaningful Consultation- Given the discrepancies between what people with disabilities were asking for during consultations and the announced Canada Disability Benefit regulations, people feel as though their voice was not heard.

The regulations for Canada Disability Benefit indicate that people will receive $200 per month, or $2,400 per year before reductions. Income exemptions and reduction amounts depend on a person’s circumstances (Employment and Social Development Canada, 2024a):

• A single person can make $23,000 per year before reductions and their income is reduced by 20 cents for each dollar over the income exception.
• If they are also employed, up to $10,000 of employment income is also exempted.
• A couple can make $32,500 per year before reductions and their income is reduced by 20 cents for each dollar over the income exception if only one partner is receiving the benefit, or by 10 cents for each dollar over the income exception if both partners are receiving the benefit.

These values are still below the Market Basket Measure for the Edmonton area of $57,341. Additionally, only Newfoundland, Nunavut, Manitoba, and Nova Scotia have committed to not clawing back provincial disability benefits. Alberta has not made a commitment yet, and advocacy groups are calling for a commitment from AISH and Income Support to not reduce payments for people receiving Canada Disability Benefit. Without this commitment, people in Alberta with disabilities will be no further ahead than they were before Canada Disability Benefit. Information and resources about what you can do to help can be found on the Inclusion Alberta website: Your advocacy is needed: Advocate for no provincial clawbacks of the Canada Disability Benefit – Inclusion Alberta

Only people receiving Disability Tax Credit will be able to apply for Canada Disability Benefit, with the government explaining this makes the eligibility process the same across the country (Employment and Social Development Canada, 2024b). Applying for Canada Disability Benefit will require a separate application. Advocates are calling for the process to be simplified (Enough for All, 2024). Many people in Canada with disabilities do not receive the Disability Tax Credit and face barriers to accessing it. Disability Tax Credit requires completion of a medical assessment (Canada Revenue Agency, 2024), which often comes with an additional cost to applicants, and many Canadians do not have access to a family doctor to complete the form (College of Family Physicians of Canada, 2022). Requiring thousands of Canadians to have medical forms completed to access government benefits creates a huge burden on the healthcare system, as completing these forms takes time away from patient care.

People who shared their stories, hopes, and concerns during government consultations for Canada Disability Benefit did so hoping for a better future for themselves and other people with disabilities. The dreams shared in the Disability with Possibility report included dreams of a healthier future with access to better quality food, increased housing security, being able to pay for medications, and being able to meet their basic needs independently. The gap between the dream of a life without poverty and the announced regulations is disappointing to everyone who shared their stories and did not see the results they were hoping for.

There is still time to advocate. Feedback for the proposed regulations closed September 2024, so Canadians can contact their MPs and request that public consultations be given a high priority in decision making. Provincially, people can contact their MLAs to request no clawbacks to provincial benefits for recipients of Canada Disability Benefit. Locally, organizations can support individuals to apply for Disability Tax Credit in anticipation of Canada Disability Benefit payments beginning July 2025. Establishing the Canada Disability Benefit is a positive step, but it does not eliminate the barrier of poverty for people living with disabilities in Canada.

References

Accessible Canada Act (2019). https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/A-0.6/page-1.html#h-1153414

Canada Revenue Agency. (2024, January 23). Disability Tax Credit. https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/tax/individuals/segments/tax-credits-deductions-persons-disabilities/disability-tax-credit.html

College of Family Physicians of Canada. (2022, May 5). Family Doctor Shortage in Canada. https://www.cfpc.ca/en/news-and-events/news-events/news-events/news-releases/2022/family-doctor-shortage-in-canada

Disability Without Poverty. (2024). Disability with possibility: What we learned from people across Canada on shaping the Canada disability benefit. https://www.disabilitywithoutpoverty.ca/shape-the-cdb-final-report/

Employment and Social Development Canada. (2022, September 20). Legislation to create a new Canada Disability Benefit begins second reading in the House of Commons. https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/news/2022/09/legislation-to-create-a-new-canada-disability-benefit-begins-second-reading-in-the-house-of-commons.html

Employment and Social Development Canada. (2024, September 10). Overview of the Canada Disability Benefit. https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/programs/disabilities-benefits.html

Employment and Social Development Canada. (2024, September 13). Additional information on the proposed Canada Disability Act regulations. https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/programs/disabilities-benefits/additional-information.html

Enough for All. (2024, August 28). Everything you need to know about the Canada Disability Benefit. https://enoughforall.ca/articles/canada-disability-benefit

Government of Alberta. (2024). AISH Eligibility. https://www.alberta.ca/aish-eligibility

Gustajtis, B. & Heisz, A. (2023, January 17). Market Basket Measure poverty thresholds and provisional poverty trends for 2021 and 2022. https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/75f0002m/75f0002m2022008-eng.htm

Inclusion Alberta. (2024, August 27). Your advocacy is needed: Advocate for no provincial clawbacks of the Canada Disability Benefit. https://inclusionalberta.org/connections/your-advocacy-is-needed-advocate-for-no-provincial-clawbacks-of-the-canada-disability-benefit/

Statistics Canada. (2024, April 26). Market Basket Measure (MBM) thresholds for the reference family by Market Basket Measure region, component, and base year. https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=1110006601

Statistics Canada. (2023, December 1). International Day of Persons with Disabilities: Removing visible and invisible barriers. StatsCAN Plus. https://www.statcan.gc.ca/o1/en/plus/5120-international-day-persons-disabilities-removing-visible-and-invisible-barriers