Canada Disability Benefit needs to be safeguarded from clawbacks, MPs unanimously agree
CTV
The federal government needs to safeguard the incoming Canada Disability Benefit from clawbacks and do more to ensure it actually meets the stated aim of lifting people living with disabilities out of poverty, MPs from all parties agree.
The federal government needs to safeguard the incoming Canada Disability Benefit from clawbacks and do more to ensure it actually meets the stated aim of lifting people living with disabilities out of poverty, MPs from all parties agree.
On Monday, members of the House Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities Committee unanimously passed a motion detailing a list of expectations to improve the new federal benefit offering.
After a lengthy legislative and consultation process, in the 2024 federal budget the government allocated $6.1 billion over six years and $1.4 billion ongoing to implement the Canada Disability Benefit.
This amount would provide for a maximum benefit amount of $2,400 per year or, as stakeholders were quick to realize, just $200 per month or $6.66 per day.
This garnered a prompt rebuke by advocacy groups who said that amount failed to fulfill the government's promise of using this income supplement to lift people with disabilities out of poverty.
Further, ambiguity remains about the potential for cross-jurisdictional claw backs.
While the federal government has vowed to work with provinces and territories on getting cross-Canada agreement to exempt the federal benefit from counting as income in relation to qualifying for other supports, those assurances have yet to be secured.
