Bill C-246 (Historical)

An Act to amend the Income Tax Act (hearing impairment)

This enactment amends paragraph 118.4(1)(b) and subparagraph 118.4(1)(c)(iv) of the Income Tax Act to establish that the ability of an individual with a hearing impairment to perform a basic activity of daily living is markedly restricted when the individual is unable to hear without the use of assistive listening devices. It also defines a basic activity of daily living in relation to an individual with a hearing impairment.

Income Tax Act

[Peter Julian, NDP, New Westminster—Burnaby, BC]

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-263, An Act to amend the Income Tax Act (hearing impairment).

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague from Abitibi—Baie-James—Nunavik—Eeyou for the work he does in the House and his tremendous understanding of the challenges Canadians with disabilities must overcome. I would like to thank him for seconding the bill.

More than three million Canadians are deaf or hearing impaired. Unfortunately, the current regulations governing the tax credit are such that almost none of these people can access the credit. That has to change. That is why I am introducing this bill today.

I am presenting this bill because, quite frankly, when we see the millions of Canadians who are deaf, deafened, or hard of hearing, who are simply not able to access the disability tax credit because of regulations that are simply far too severe, there has to be change. I must say that the bill is supported by the Canadian Hard of Hearing Association and the Canadian audiologists association, and all the Canadians who are deaf, deafened, or hard of hearing who believe that they, too, should have access to the disability tax credit. I hope that all members of Parliament will support this important legislation.

(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)

The Deaf and Hard of Hearing

[Peter Julian, NDP, Burnaby—New Westminster, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to present a petition signed by hundreds of people from across Canada, from Vancouver, British Columbia, from Edmonton and Okotoks in Alberta, from Montreal and the Laurentians in Quebec and from Dieppe and Moncton in New Brunswick.

All of these people are calling on the Government of Canada to look into issues related to discrimination against people who are deaf or hard of hearing.

Discrimination against this group of people is currently at the heart of a case involving the Income Tax Act. Canadians would like parliamentarians to support Bill C-246, An Act to amend the Income Tax Act (hearing impairment). This bill would enable people who are deaf or hard of hearing to benefit from the disability tax credit.

Income Tax Act

[Peter Julian, NDP, Burnaby—New Westminster, BC]

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-246, An Act to amend the Income Tax Act (hearing impairment).

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the hon. member for Montcalm, who is seconding this bill. He is one of the strongest advocates in this House when it comes to the rights of persons with disabilities.

The bill would establish equality for hard of hearing and deafened Canadians. With the disability tax credit currently many hard of hearing and deafened Canadians are not able to access tax credits because the tax credit regulations basically force the person to be in an ideal situation in order not to hear.

What the bill purports to do would be to put in place a system where, in a real working life, somebody who is hard of hearing or deafened is unable to hear, would then be able to access this credit.

The bill is endorsed by the Canadian Hard of Hearing Association, Voice for Hearing Impaired Children, the Canadian Association of Speech Language Pathologists and Audiologists and the Canadian Academy of Audiology. All of those organizations urge all members of the House to support the bill so that we can get equality for deafened and hard of hearing Canadians.

(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)