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House Hansard - 43

44th Parl. 1st Sess.
March 22, 2022 10:00AM
Context: House Hansard - 43 - Mar/22/22
Mr. Irek Kusmierczyk (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion, Lib.)
  • Mar/22/22 7:06:35 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the tragic story of Hayden and Rebecca hurts all of our hearts deeply. This story is the centre of our work. It is what drives our work each and every single day. My friend and colleague, the member for Kitchener Centre, raises the important issue of how the Government of Canada is supporting our most vulnerable. I want the House to know that we are working on setting up the Canadian disability benefit. In her mandate letter that was published on December 16, 2021, the Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion was instructed to move forward with our campaign platform commitment for the design, introduction and implementation of a Canada disability benefit act and a Canada disability benefit for low-income working-age persons with disabilities. The need for this benefit is clear. Despite the progress that has been made in recent years, Canadians with disabilities continue to face persistent barriers to full economic and social participation. Prior to the pandemic, the 2017 Canadian Survey on Disability painted a troubling picture of economic disparity. At the time of the survey, working-age Canadians with disabilities were over two times more likely to be living in poverty than the general population, at 21% to 11%. The situation is even worse for those with more severe disabilities and for women, indigenous peoples, LGBTQ2 and racialized Canadians with disabilities. Over the past year, the global pandemic has highlighted and exacerbated the entrenched inequities faced by Canadians with disabilities. A recent survey tabled by this very member, the member for Kitchener Centre, showed that two-thirds of respondents with disabilities indicated that they were having difficulties meeting their financial obligations or essential needs as a result of the pandemic. I might add that it was a survey garnering almost 18,000 signatures. The Canada disability benefit would address these inequities head-on. It would reduce poverty and support the financial security of working-age persons with disabilities, but we cannot say much yet about some of the specific aspects of the benefit, and that is because we want to engage provinces and territories to ensure the benefit supplements, rather than replaces, existing benefits and income, so in the spirit of “nothing without us”, we are engaging persons with disabilities and the disability community directly in the design of the benefits. That is essential. Canadians with disabilities know better than anyone what economic obstacles they face and what supports they need to achieve financial security. We know Canadians with disabilities are eager to see these benefits implemented, and we now have a golden opportunity to move forward with a postpandemic recovery that includes people with disabilities. I thank the member for his advocacy on behalf of his constituents and on behalf of Hayden and Rebecca and their legacy.
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Context: House Hansard - 43 - Mar/22/22
Mr. Irek Kusmierczyk
  • Mar/22/22 7:11:13 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the member's question is well timed, and I share his urgency on this issue. The Government of Canada has been there for persons with disabilities throughout the pandemic, and we are still there for them. Our response to the pandemic took people with disabilities into consideration. We provided money to support seniors and students with disabilities. We funded a one-time tax-free non-reportable payment of up to $600 to help persons with disabilities weather the crisis, and since the beginning of this benefit in October 2020 and until December 2021, Service Canada issued payments to 1.75 million individuals, for a total value of $815 million. Now we are in the process of mapping out a disability inclusion action plan, which includes financial relief through a Canada disability benefit. The benefit has the potential to help hundreds of thousands of working-age Canadians with disabilities and their families. I thank the member again for his advocacy and his sense of urgency on behalf of his constituents.
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