Hon. Chantal Petitclerc: Honourable senators, we have heard all that needed to be said about Bill C-22, and so I will be brief. However, I really wanted to rise to speak today.

[English]

Allow me first to thank Senator Cotter for his work as sponsor of this bill in the Senate and, Senator Cotter, for your commitment in the Senate and outside Parliament to persons living with disabilities.

Colleagues, to this day, I remember the enthusiasm in the disability community when, in September 2020, the Canada disability benefit was announced in the Speech from the Throne. We knew then that the goal would be to reduce poverty and that it would be modelled after the Guaranteed Income Supplement for seniors, but we knew nothing about the amount of this future benefit, let alone the eligibility conditions.

Nearly three years later, we still are in the dark about who will be eligible or how much they will receive. However, it must be recognized that the enthusiasm and hope noted in 2020 are still strong and palpable. What I’m hearing is that the community is reassured by the guarantees provided by the amendments made in the House and here in the Senate.

[Translation]

Allow me to acknowledge once again the exceptional work of my colleagues on the Standing Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology, who felt that these amendments, which were just today accepted by the House in response to our message, were necessary.

I especially want to thank all the organizations who inspired and motivated us to improve this bill through their briefs, testimony and correspondence.

All things considered, the work we chose to do improved the bill and will better serve the community.

Thanks to the Senate, the appeal process specifically provides for a procedure to deal with decisions made about eligibility for the benefit and the amount to be received.

Thanks to the Senate, the benefit will have to be based on not just the official poverty line but several other parameters as well, in particular additional costs associated with living with a disability and the intersectional needs of disadvantaged individuals and groups, among others.

Thanks to the Senate, the government now has the power to make the required regulations so that payments can commence within 12 months of the coming into force of the bill.

[English]

It’s true, however, that concerns about clawbacks during the implementation of the proposed benefit, especially by private insurers, have not gone away. The government has acknowledged that these fears are well-founded and has said it is aware of this risk. I am trying to be reassured by the minister’s commitment that she will be vigilant to ensure that the concerns expressed during the study do not turn into a sad reality.

[Translation]

In an email to Quebec senators, organizations in Quebec representing hundreds of thousands of people with disabilities and their families, including the Quebec Intellectual Disability Society, the Fédération québécoise de l’autisme and the Confédération des personnes handicapées du Québec, sent the following message:

All but one of the amendments were adopted, and one was the subject of a subamendment. First of all, we are comfortable with the House’s motion. Of course, we would have preferred to have guarantees in the act concerning insurance and the clawback, but the motion remains satisfactory overall.

Other national organizations, such as the Rick Hansen Foundation, the Canadian National Institute for the Blind, Inclusion Canada and the Disability Without Poverty movement, all sent similar messages and agreed that now is the time, following this legislative step, to move on to the next stage to improve the financial insecurity in which hundreds of thousands of Canadians live. I agree with these organizations.

[English]

I was tempted by way of conclusion to use the analogy that we are just about to cross the finish line with this bill, but I realize that this is not the right analogy because, really, this is not the finish line. With Bill C-22 being a framework law, it is fair to say it is now that the work begins.

A better analogy would be one of a relay race. We gave it our best, and it’s now our turn to confidently pass the baton, not just to the government but especially to the ones with lived experience and expertise and to the organizations that were promised that they would be part of co-creating the regulations. These groups wanted their voices to be heard based on the principle of “nothing about us, without us.” We can count on them, and I have confidence that they will carry out this duty with passion, expertise and rigour.

[Translation]

The real finish line will be reached when the first cheques are sent to the beneficiaries — by 2024 we hope.

I therefore invite you, honourable colleagues, to pass the baton by accepting this response, as we have received it from the House of Commons. Meegwetch. Thank you.