Finance committee  Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I'm representing the Council of Canadians with Disabilities, a national organization that represents Canadians with disabilities across this country. The goal of the Council of Canadians with Disabilities is to build a more inclusive and accessible Canada and to ensure that Canadians with disabilities have the same access to goods and services of our great country as do non-disabled persons.

Finance committee  Thank you. We need new initiatives to improve access, including the regulation of new information technologies to ensure access, and the creation of a centre of excellence that would provide best practices information to employers, businesses, etc., on universal design options.

Finance committee  Yes. I totally agree with you, Mr. Brison. That is something we have discussed with Mr. Flaherty on a few occasions. It is fine for the 40% of employed persons with disabilities who have a taxable income, but the unemployment rate among persons with disabilities is upwards of 60%, 61%, 62%.

Finance committee  One of the issues around the disability tax credit is, as I said, having it fully refundable for people who are not employed or who can't find employment. But the issue around that as well is that we don't want provinces grabbing back from people who are on social assistance. We did that with the child tax credit, and I believe the provinces can no longer grasp at persons who are on social assistance to take the child tax credit away.

Finance committee  Some persons on provincial social assistance programs are looking forward to reaching 65 so they can be eligible for the Canada pension and the supplementary benefit. It is unfortunate that persons are wishing themselves to be older. With the possibility of the eligibility age of the Canada Pension Plan being extended, it could mean that people will have to wait longer to get out of poverty.

Finance committee  Are you talking about the eligibility for the tax credit or—

Finance committee  The point I was making is it's important for us—and it's in the discussions we had with Mr. Flaherty—to make the disability tax credit fully refundable for persons who are not employed. It works for persons who are employed because they get the benefit of the tax credit. But to have the disability tax credit as a refundable tax credit for persons who are not employed, like the—

Finance committee  I'm not sure. The point I was making is to tie the eligibility for the disability tax credit to the Canada Pension Plan disability benefit. There are two separate systems right now in place for making persons eligible. If one is disabled, if one is, as I am, in a wheelchair, and permanently disabled, the chances of me being eligible for the disability tax credit...well, I am, but then I have to apply separately for the Canada Pension Plan disability tax credit.

Finance committee  There aren't. The criteria are somewhat similar, but it's the process of having to go through two processes. Some doctors do charge for the additional paperwork. You are talking about people who probably do not have a strong income at the time, having to apply for and pay for two separate systems.

Finance committee  No, the disability tax credit is the one I was talking about in terms of registering under both.

Finance committee  Yes. I was really happy to hear Mr. Flaherty this morning speaking about that. For persons with disabilities, whether they are employed or not employed, that program has been excellent. There need to be some changes in regard to persons with intellectual disabilities, and I'm hoping in today's budget that will be included as well.

Finance committee  Yes, we are, actually. I would doubt that any persons with disabilities or their families would see anything wrong with the program. The program has been a good program.

Finance committee  We as an organization are sometimes inclined to complain about government, and we're inclined to kick government at all times, but this is a good program. We have told Mr. Flaherty that on several occasions.

Finance committee  Oh, we'll have other things to say.

Finance committee  Ms. McLeod, no, it was.... When we had talked to Mr. Flaherty, we had spoken about making the disability tax credit refundable. He said, you know, I'll think about it, but I don't want the provinces grabbing back at it, because it would have been of no benefit to someone very poor who was getting the disability tax credit and then the province, because the person was on a social assistance program and eligible for provincial social services, just grabbing it back as part of their income.