Canada Disability Benefit Act

An Act to reduce poverty and to support the financial security of persons with disabilities by establishing the Canada disability benefit and making a consequential amendment to the Income Tax Act

Sponsor

Carla Qualtrough  Liberal

Status

This bill has received Royal Assent and is, or will soon become, law.

Summary

This is from the published bill. The Library of Parliament has also written a full legislative summary of the bill.

This enactment establishes the Canada disability benefit to reduce poverty and to support the financial security of working-age persons with disabilities. It sets out general provisions for the administration of the benefit and authorizes the Governor in Council to implement most of the benefit’s design elements through regulations. It also makes a consequential amendment to the Income Tax Act .

Similar bills

C-35 (43rd Parliament, 2nd session) Canada Disability Benefit Act

Elsewhere

All sorts of information on this bill is available at LEGISinfo, an excellent resource from Parliament. You can also read the full text of the bill.

Bill numbers are reused for different bills each new session. Perhaps you were looking for one of these other C-22s:

C-22 (2021) An Act to amend the Criminal Code and the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act
C-22 (2016) Law An Act to establish the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians and to make consequential amendments to certain Acts
C-22 (2014) Law Energy Safety and Security Act
C-22 (2011) Law Eeyou Marine Region Land Claims Agreement Act

Votes

Feb. 2, 2023 Passed 3rd reading and adoption of Bill C-22, An Act to reduce poverty and to support the financial security of persons with disabilities by establishing the Canada disability benefit and making a consequential amendment to the Income Tax Act
Oct. 18, 2022 Passed 2nd reading of Bill C-22, An Act to reduce poverty and to support the financial security of persons with disabilities by establishing the Canada disability benefit and making a consequential amendment to the Income Tax Act

Debate Summary

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This is a computer-generated summary of the speeches below. Usually it’s accurate, but every now and then it’ll contain inaccuracies or total fabrications.

Bill C-22 aims to reduce poverty and support the financial security of working-age persons with disabilities through the creation of a new Canada disability benefit, supplementing existing federal, provincial, and territorial supports. The bill establishes a framework for the benefit, with key details like eligibility criteria, benefit amounts, and application processes to be determined through future regulations in consultation with the disability community and other levels of government. It also includes a consequential amendment to the Income Tax Act.

Liberal

  • Commitment to disability inclusion: The Liberal party is committed to ensuring that no person with a disability should live in poverty, referencing the Guaranteed Income Supplement for seniors and the Canada Child Benefit as examples of past successes in poverty reduction.
  • Framework for disability benefit: Bill C-22 establishes the principles and general provisions for administering the Canada Disability Benefit, while authorizing the Governor in Council to implement the details through regulations. The party argues this framework approach is necessary to allow for collaboration with the disability community and coordination with provincial and territorial governments.
  • Supplement, not replace supports: The Canada Disability Benefit is designed as an income supplement, not a replacement for existing provincial and territorial supports. The party is working with provinces and territories to ensure that the new benefit does not result in clawbacks or service cuts, with a shared commitment to improving the lives of persons with disabilities across the country.
  • Consultation and collaboration: In the spirit of "Nothing Without Us," the Liberal party emphasizes the importance of collaborating with the disability community on the design of the Canada Disability Benefit. The party is committed to ensuring that people with disabilities are actively involved in shaping the benefit to address their specific needs and challenges, as well as working closely with provinces and territories to ensure the benefit complements existing support systems.

Conservative

  • Supports the bill's intent: The Conservative Party generally supports the bill's intent to reduce poverty and enhance financial security for persons with disabilities, with members expressing a desire to see all Canadian citizens, regardless of their level of ability, able to participate fully in our economy and to be active participants in our society.
  • Legislative vagueness: Conservative members are concerned with the bill's lack of specifics, particularly regarding eligibility criteria, benefit amounts, and coordination with provincial benefits, arguing that these details should be clarified in the legislation rather than left to future regulations.
  • Implementation concerns: Members highlighted the need to ensure that the Canada Disability Benefit does not inadvertently disqualify individuals from existing provincial benefits, create provincial disparities, or penalize individuals for entering the workforce, arguing the current framework lacks clarity on these critical aspects.
  • Call for fiscal responsibility: Conservatives criticized the Liberal government's spending habits and called for transparency regarding the cost of the disability benefit, emphasizing the need to prioritize spending and ensure the benefit is indexed to inflation to protect against the rising cost of living.
  • Euthanasia concerns: Multiple members expressed serious concerns that the expansion of euthanasia in Canada is negatively impacting the value placed on Canadians living with disabilities and pushing people towards assisted suicide rather than providing the support they need.

NDP

  • Supports Bill C-22: The NDP supports Bill C-22 as a step towards creating a Canada disability benefit and thanks the minister for bringing the bill forward. They aim to collaborate with all members to improve the bill and eradicate poverty among persons living with disabilities.
  • Lacks key details: The NDP is concerned about the lack of specific details in Bill C-22, including eligibility criteria, benefit amount, and implementation timeline. They emphasize the need for accountability measures to ensure the bill's success in alleviating poverty.
  • Adequacy and clawbacks: The NDP stresses that the Canada disability benefit must be adequate to meet the basic needs of persons with disabilities and should not result in clawbacks from existing federal, provincial, or territorial disability programs. They advocate for a guaranteed income floor for working-age persons with disabilities.
  • Urgent action needed: The NDP emphasizes the urgent need to address the rising cost of living and the disproportionate impact of poverty on persons with disabilities, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. They call for fast-tracking the Canada disability benefit to provide timely support and improve the lives of vulnerable Canadians.

Bloc

  • Supports the bill in principle: The Bloc Québécois supports the principle of the bill, aiming to improve the financial situation of Canadians with disabilities. They believe it's crucial for Canadians to have access to a strong social safety net, and the government should ensure that they do.
  • Bill is incomplete: The bill is considered woefully incomplete due to the lack of specific details on the form the benefit will take. The Bloc Québécois believes the bill should be enhanced and fleshed out with concrete details.
  • Lack of clarity: The bill lacks clarity regarding how the benefit will be delivered and whether it will be administered by the federal government or transferred to the provinces. They stress the importance of respecting provincial jurisdiction and ensuring the new benefit complements existing programs.
  • French definition of handicap: Members suggest that eligibility and the definition of "disability" need clarification, noting that the French term “handicap” does not have the same scope as the term “disability” used in English Canada.
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Canada Disability Benefit ActGovernment Orders

October 17th, 2022 / 5:15 p.m.

NDP

Rachel Blaney NDP North Island—Powell River, BC

Madam Speaker, today is the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, so I am glad we are talking about this and the realities that so many people living with disabilities face. As a collective, as a country, we have to take ownership of the fact that our inability to create accessible spaces has excluded people and left them in poverty, so I am glad we are having that conversation and I hope we continue to actually take the next step.

With respect to this piece of legislation, although I will support it, although I appreciate the intention, what really matters to me is the impact. What we see in this piece of legislation is that there is nothing concrete that is really going to make a successive difference. I do not want to see this just passed and the actions not taken. I wonder if the member could reflect on that.

Canada Disability Benefit ActGovernment Orders

October 17th, 2022 / 5:20 p.m.

Conservative

John Nater Conservative Perth—Wellington, ON

Madam Speaker, I thank the member for North Island—Powell River for her important question.

The member is absolutely right. It is the impact. It is the impact that this or other pieces of legislation will have on Canadians living with disabilities, and there is a challenge. However, this is not a concrete piece of legislation. This is a framework, a foundation, but it does not actually list what would come out of it.

From personal experience, as my mother-in-law lives with a disability and uses a wheelchair, I know that different programs in the past, particularly those focused on accessibility, were done with good intentions, but they were not always implemented in a way that is cognizant or reflective of what is needed by persons living with disabilities.

Again, I will give an A for effort on this piece of legislation, but the real work is going to come down the road to ensure that there is a meaningful impact and that this piece of legislation does not claw back benefits that might be received elsewhere or make it more difficult for persons living with disabilities.

Canada Disability Benefit ActGovernment Orders

October 17th, 2022 / 5:20 p.m.

Conservative

Robert Gordon Kitchen Conservative Souris—Moose Mountain, SK

Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for his great speech and for recognizing the many types of disabilities that we have out there.

This past weekend, I was fortunate to be golfing with a young man whose left hand and left foot are disabled due to cerebral palsy, and on the very last hole of the tournament, he was the last guy up. He hit his golf ball on 14th hole of the Estevan golf course, and eight of us watched it sail over the water, hit the green and roll into the hole. He got a hole in one, and it was spectacular.

Now, his nickname is Ace, and I hate to say this, but he has had three holes in one. However, it was such a fantastic thing to see, and the eight of us were all over him, cheering him on with this great and fantastic thing.

I chatted with him a little about the legislation before us during that golf tournament, and one of his concerns was about the steps that were in it, particularly the regulations and what those regulations would be saying, which is a big challenge. I wonder if my colleague could comment on where he sees these regulations, because the reality is, at committee those regulations will hopefully get some answers to them.

Canada Disability Benefit ActGovernment Orders

October 17th, 2022 / 5:20 p.m.

Conservative

John Nater Conservative Perth—Wellington, ON

Madam Speaker, I thank the member for the question, and I congratulate Ace on his hole in one, which is something I have never in my life achieved. However, he is absolutely right about the regulations. Going forward, we need to make sure that the regulations are clear, direct, to the point and do not have any unintended consequences that would negatively impact a person living with a disability.

Canada Disability Benefit ActGovernment Orders

October 17th, 2022 / 5:20 p.m.

Conservative

Brad Vis Conservative Mission—Matsqui—Fraser Canyon, BC

Madam Speaker, I am so pleased to be speaking tonight to Bill C-22, an act to reduce poverty and to support the financial security of persons with disabilities by establishing the Canada disability benefit and making a consequential amendment to the Income Tax Act.

I was thinking about this bill on my flight to Ottawa last night, and I would be remiss if I did not mention Bethesda Christian Association. For the majority of my mother's life, she has volunteered with Bethesda, and as a child I volunteered with Bethesda as well. My mom also worked for the organization for over 20 years. Working with Bethesda taught me a lot about humanity and taught my family a lot about compassion, humility and respecting the rights of every single person.

I have had the privilege of knowing one woman since I was born, Darlene, who also went to the same church as me when I was growing up. One of my favourite childhood photos is of me sitting at the family piano with Darlene. To know Darlene today has brought richness to my life. Darlene lives with mental disabilities, but she lives life to the fullest. She has taught me so much, even though I am an outgoing person, about getting out there and not being afraid to shake the hand of a stranger or say something in church at the appropriate time. She has brought so much richness to my life.

I also know that women like Darlene have been challenged financially. Irrespective of government, we have seen a reduction in support staff and direct supports for women like Darlene living with disabilities. That is not good. As a Conservative, one of the tenets I hold to is that the government has a responsibility to take care of people who cannot take care of themselves. Many Canadians living with disabilities, especially those with mental challenges like Darlene, really do need support from taxpayers to live their best and full lives. For a country as rich as Canada, I do not think that is a hard threshold to reach.

I am pleased to say that I will be supporting this bill today because of what I learned form Bethesda Christian Association growing up and because we need to do more to support those living with disabilities. However, when I looked at Bill C-22, especially the “Regulations” section, clause 11 of the bill, it says a lot. I will give a couple of examples. Paragraph (a) says, “respecting the eligibility criteria”; paragraph (b) says, “respecting conditions that are to be met in order to receive or to continue to receive a benefit”; and paragraph (c) says, “respecting the amount of a benefit or the method for determining the amount”.

The bill goes on and on like this for about a page and a half, but it does not say some of the things that people are looking for. How much will they actually receive from the government under a Canada disability benefit? What would a Canada disability benefit cost to the public coffers, and when will the disability benefit be costed out? Another question that I was struck with upon reading the bill is this: What amount does the government plan to provide persons with disabilities through the Canada disability benefit?

How does the government plan on coordinating the Canada disability benefit with other provincial benefits? If this benefit is to operate in coordination with provincial benefits, how will the government ensure that there is no provincial disparity for those accessing the benefit in respect of the tax code?

As another point, what will the eligibility be for the Canada disability benefit? Will it include those living with invisible disabilities? How will that criteria be established?

Will the Canada disability benefit be indexed to inflation? With the rising cost of inflation in this country, this is a big concern to many currently living with a disability.

Here is another point: When should Canadians expect to start receiving the Canada disability benefit once the bill is passed? Currently, the bill's coming-into-force date is to be determined by an order in council. In addition, since almost all information about the benefit is to be determined through regulation, will the government be open to increasing the parliamentary oversight outlined in the bill?

How will the government ensure that the Canada disability benefit considers the complex web of programs currently in place, which, for many Canadians with disabilities, can result in benefit cuts and higher taxes as a consequence of taking on work. Especially in the context of veterans living with disabilities, that is a very important point.

How will the government ensure that the applying of the Canada disability benefit is inclusive and not a difficult bureaucratic process? How will we make this form simple to fill out? How will we ensure that the Canadians who need this support will get it as quickly as possible? How will the Canada disability benefit be impacted if there are changes to provincial or territorial programs?

I will be supporting this bill, but there are a ton of fundamental questions that the framework needs to answer when this bill is hopefully passed by Parliament and brought before what I assume will be the HUMA committee.

Canada Disability Benefit ActGovernment Orders

October 17th, 2022 / 5:25 p.m.

Milton Ontario

Liberal

Adam van Koeverden LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health and to the Minister of Sport

Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague and friend for the speech. I am looking forward to doing some Canada-Netherlands Friendship Group work with him if he is interested. We have some work to do and he is my co-chair, so I will be counting on his engagement there.

My friend talked about how it is important, as a Conservative, to stand up and help people who need it most, people who do not have access to certain services. I am glad he is so engaged in this bill and I am thrilled to hear he is supporting it.

Does that category of people, the people who need it most, include families with young kids who cannot afford to get their teeth fixed?

Canada Disability Benefit ActGovernment Orders

October 17th, 2022 / 5:30 p.m.

Conservative

Brad Vis Conservative Mission—Matsqui—Fraser Canyon, BC

Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for Milton for his question, but the debate today is on Bill C-22, not Bill C-31.

As I mentioned in my speech on Bill C-31, we have to look at the inflationary impacts of what we are doing. As I outlined in the suite of questions I posed, which I hope committee members and the government listened to, we need to do a full costing of this bill to see what impact it will have on Canadians and on Canadian taxpayers in the context of the inflationary period we are in right now.

Canada Disability Benefit ActGovernment Orders

October 17th, 2022 / 5:30 p.m.

Bloc

Sébastien Lemire Bloc Abitibi—Témiscamingue, QC

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to see you in the chair for our rather late debates.

Does my colleague find the bill to be well drafted? Does he not feel that the government is being given a blank cheque of sorts? Should the bill not include some terms and conditions? Should the government's intentions be more transparent? Above all, should the money be transferred to the provinces so they can redistribute it to people? Once again, this may be more the jurisdiction of the provinces rather than that of the federal government.

Canada Disability Benefit ActGovernment Orders

October 17th, 2022 / 5:30 p.m.

Conservative

Brad Vis Conservative Mission—Matsqui—Fraser Canyon, BC

Mr. Speaker, I believe that this bill needs a lot more work. I hope that the Bloc Québécois will support this bill so we can study it in committee and make changes and amendments. This will ensure that the legislation is compatible with provincial programs.

Canada Disability Benefit ActGovernment Orders

October 17th, 2022 / 5:30 p.m.

NDP

Laurel Collins NDP Victoria, BC

Mr. Speaker, today is the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty. Over a million Canadians right now are living in poverty. Having a disability benefit is so critically important, but the government has failed people with disabilities again and again. It is now asking people with disabilities to wait three years. It has presented a bill that does not actually tell us how much people will get or who will be included.

Can the member speak to how vital it is that people with disabilities know how much they will be receiving, who is going to be receiving this benefit and when this benefit will come?

Canada Disability Benefit ActGovernment Orders

October 17th, 2022 / 5:30 p.m.

Conservative

Brad Vis Conservative Mission—Matsqui—Fraser Canyon, BC

Mr. Speaker, on the points raised by the member for Victoria, I think they are essential.

Going back to Darlene, whom I mentioned in my speech, when she goes out for coffee at Tim Hortons or an ice cream and a burger at McDonald's, she has to tabulate that every single month. She lives dollar to dollar. The Bethesda Christian Association that supports Darlene lives dollar to dollar as well.

Yes, getting that critical information, like when the benefit will come into force and how much people with disabilities will be living on, is essential. I hope that information is brought forward by public servants at committee as soon as possible, because there is no point going through this legislative exercise if we do not have answers to those fundamental questions.

Canada Disability Benefit ActGovernment Orders

October 17th, 2022 / 5:30 p.m.

Conservative

Arnold Viersen Conservative Peace River—Westlock, AB

Mr. Speaker, my aunt was actually one of the residents of Bethesda, so he may have run into her. She passed away a number of years back, but it was interesting to hear that in his speech.

One of the big concerns I have and that I hear from the disability community is around access to MAID and approval for MAID. Over and over we are hearing of people who are in distress, but not necessarily terminal, accessing MAID. I was wondering if he could address that as well.

Canada Disability Benefit ActGovernment Orders

October 17th, 2022 / 5:30 p.m.

Conservative

Brad Vis Conservative Mission—Matsqui—Fraser Canyon, BC

Mr. Speaker, just last year, or this year if I am mistaken, a woman in my community received MAID because she could not find adequate housing. What we need to do as a government and as a society collectively is to ensure that human dignity is respected, and we need to ensure that people living with disabilities have hope and support. I hope with this framework and with amendments at committee, we can get there and provide a new level of dignity and a new level of hope for those Canadians.

Canada Disability Benefit ActGovernment Orders

October 17th, 2022 / 5:35 p.m.

Conservative

Michael Cooper Conservative St. Albert—Edmonton, AB

Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak to Bill C-22, an act to establish the Canada disability benefit. In short, what this legislation seeks to do is provide an income supplement to Canadians with disabilities that complements provincial programs and supports. Unfortunately, in Canada, many persons living with disabilities are stigmatized and marginalized. Many live in poverty. Indeed, those who are of working age and live with a disability are significantly more likely to live below the poverty line than those who do not live with a disability.

Persons with disabilities deserve to be supported so they can live healthy, happy, productive and meaningful lives in which barriers are removed. They deserve a helping hand to escape poverty. In that spirit, I support this bill in principle.

However, there is much that is unknown about this bill. We do not know who would be eligible for the benefit. We do not know what amount someone who is living with a disability would be entitled to receive. We do not know payment periods. We do not know how the benefit would be dealt with in terms of being indexed for inflation. We do not know what the application process would look like. We do not even know when the benefit would take effect.

Those are a lot of unknowns. After seven years and now more than a year since the government introduced a substantively similar bill on the eve of the Prime Minister's calling an unnecessary and opportunistic election, we have legislation that provides no further details. We have a minister who has been unable to shed any further light. All we have is a loose framework, with all of the details to be determined at a later date, perhaps years down the road. As a consequence, I would submit that we, as members of Parliament, are in an untenable position in some respects, being asked to support a bill the details of which are unknown in terms of the scope and impact of the Canada disability benefit.

The Minister of Employment and Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion stated in her speech that she is, quite appropriately, working with her provincial and territorial counterparts to ensure the benefit has its intended impact, that it is an income supplement and that there are not unintended consequences, including clawbacks and taxes that would undermine the effectiveness of the benefit.

While it is good that the minister is engaging in those discussions with her provincial and territorial counterparts, the issue of clawbacks for the disability community is a much broader one than simply in respect of this proposed new benefit. I certainly support providing an income supplement to low-income Canadians living with a disability, but we know the best social program is not a new benefit. The best social program is employment for those who have the opportunity and ability to work. After all, employment provides an opportunity for dignity and self-worth; it provides a sense of purpose. It provides opportunities for social connectedness, in contrast to the isolation many persons living with disabilities face each and every day.

Employment improves mental health and one's overall well-being. Not all Canadians living with disabilities are able to work, but many are and many do. Nearly one million Canadians living with a disability are in the workforce, including 300,000 Canadians who are severely disabled. Many more would like to work, but for all practical purposes, they are unable to do so. They are unable to do so because when they go out and work and earn a bit of income, their earnings are offset by the clawing back of programs and supports. We know that in some provinces, for every dollar earned, one can see a clawback of a dollar or nearly a dollar in social support. Therefore, for many Canadians living with disabilities, there is in fact a disincentive to participate in the workforce. This is counterproductive, it is unfair and it has the perverse effect of trapping Canadians living with disabilities in a cycle of poverty, which is something that this bill seeks to address.

As my colleague, the member for Perth—Wellington, stated in his speech, my friend, the leader of the official opposition and member for Carleton, introduced a bill in the 42nd Parliament, Bill C-395, to address this unfairness. In short, that bill sought to ensure that any person living with a disability would never be disadvantaged, that they would never see more in clawbacks and taxes than what they would earn in income from going out and working. Instead of supporting that bill, the Liberals voted against it.

One can debate the particulars of that particular bill, but it is not just the member for Carleton who has raised this issue. In 2017, a unanimous report of the Standing Committee on Human Resources recommended, as a key recommendation, that the federal government play a leadership role to ensure that Canadians with disabilities are not disincentivized from participating in the workforce.

In conclusion, let me say that this bill is a step in the right direction. There are a lot of details that remain and time is of the essence, but there is more work to do beyond this bill to remove barriers, so that, most importantly, Canadians living with disabilities can enjoy the same opportunities that other Canadians enjoy to be able to go out into the workforce and earn a living and have that dignity and self-worth that come with a job. That is how we reduce barriers. That is how we reduce stigmatization and marginalization, and that is how we lift Canadians living with disabilities out of the trap of poverty.

Canada Disability Benefit ActGovernment Orders

October 17th, 2022 / 5:40 p.m.

Green

Elizabeth May Green Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC

Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to have a chance to join in this debate. It is clear that Bill C-22 is far less than what was expected. It does not provide the details and so much is left to be filled in later, yet the needs are clearly urgent. People living with disabilities in this country are disproportionately and scandalously exposed to poverty.

I totally agree that having a job is a great way to build self-worth and respect, but would my hon. colleague not agree with me that no one with a disability should live in poverty, whether they can find a job or not?