The Canada Disability Benefit had – and still has – the potential to be a generational game-changer.
Done right, it could lift hundreds of thousands of Canadians out of poverty.
But what the Liberal government has delivered so far is a colossal betrayal of the promise made to those living with physical, developmental and psychiatric disabilities: A program with a paltry payout and a limited scope, and bogged down in red tape.
The financing of the new disability benefit presented in last week’s federal budget is, by any measure, underwhelming: A program that offers a maximum of $200 monthly, doesn’t begin until mid-2025, and will be available to fewer than half of people living with disabilities and in poverty.
It’s a costly initiative nonetheless – $6.1-billion over six years, and then an annual budget of $1.4-billion – but not enough to make a real difference.
All told, it’s symbolic of a government that has lost its way, sprinkling billions to various demographic groups under the guise of “generational equity” in a hodgepodge fashion, without any underlying purpose or vision.
All this is made worse by years of promises that built up sky-high expectations.
In the 2020 Throne Speech, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government first floated its plan to lift people with disabilities out of poverty. It repeated that pledge in its 2021 election platform. Legislation for the plan was adopted in 2023, but without funding.
In every instance, the Liberals promised that what was coming was a groundbreaking program comparable to the Guaranteed Income Supplement and/or Canada Child Benefit.
The GIS, introduced in 1967 to address the social scourge of seniors living in abject poverty, is arguably one of the most important social programs in Canadian history. It has an annual budget of $15-billion.
The CCB, introduced in 2016, was designed to help low-income families with children pay their bills. It’s also a massive program, costing about $25.2-billion a year.
So, it’s easy to see why people with disabilities living in poverty were hopeful that help was finally on the way, and on a grand scale.
And there is no question that help is desperately needed. There are 6.2 million people in Canada living with a disability; about 1.5 million of them can barely keep their heads above water, mostly because existing social programs condemn them to poverty, with annual benefits as low as $10,884 – or $907 a month.
The Canada Disability Benefit was supposed to substantially supplement meagre provincial supports, on a scale similar to the GIS ($1065.47 monthly) or CCB ($620 monthly.)
Instead, it will provide a maximum of $200 a month, a fraction of what was expected, and needed.
Worse yet, not everyone will be eligible. The Canada Disability Benefit will only be available to those who qualify for another program, the Disability Tax Credit, which is administered by the Canada Revenue Agency.
Yes, you read that correctly: The CRA determines who is disabled (according to a definition of “a severe and prolonged impairment”) and that means a lot of paperwork, including a doctor’s evaluation, which in turn costs between $100 and $150, and is not covered by medicare.
The Canada Disability Benefit is supposed to bring some dignity to some of the most marginalized people in Canadian society. Instead, it delivers a seemingly endless series of humiliating slaps in the face.
A $6.66-a-day benefit for the struggling. It’s no wonder the outrage is palpable.
“Nothing for many and too little for most,” is how Len Baker, president and CEO of the March of Dimes, succinctly described the program.
“Our disappointment cannot be overstated,” said Krista Carr, executive vice-president of Inclusion Canada.
And perhaps the most stinging rebuke of all came from Rabia Khedr, national director of Disability Without Poverty, noting sardonically that with an extra $200 a month, people with disabilities are now “only $800 below the poverty line.” (In Canada, the average benefits people with disabilities receive are $1,300 monthly, while the poverty line is roughly $2,300.)
The anger aimed at the federal government is appropriate, but let’s not forget the role provinces and territories play in this institutional injustice. It is their programs that condemn people with disabilities to poverty in the first place and none have committed to not clawing back the new federal benefit. (Nor have any complained about federal intrusion.)
There are social, political, economic, moral, legal and human rights arguments for lifting people with disabilities out of poverty. Doing so should be a priority at all levels of government – and not just crafting a better Canada Disability Benefit, but providing a livable income for all people with disabilities.
André Picard