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
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 .
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 (2011)Law
Eeyou Marine Region Land Claims Agreement Act
Votes
Feb. 2, 2023Passed 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, 2022Passed 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
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.
Mr. Speaker, I absolutely would concur with the member for Saanich—Gulf Islands that we have to do everything to ensure that Canadians living with disabilities are not trapped in poverty. We need to remove barriers so that Canadians living with disabilities can find employment, but we also have to provide other supports. This is one additional support and it is one that I support if it is ever rolled out the door, because unfortunately it could be some time between now and the time that the money is actually delivered to Canadians living with disabilities. It has, frankly, been too long.
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his speech on this International Day for the Eradication of Poverty.
Keeping people with disabilities active in the labour market, finding accommodation measures and promoting their integration also helps to address the fact that too many people with disabilities are in a vulnerable situation. That was confirmed to me by the director of Dynamique des handicapés de Granby et région, Marie-Christine Hon.
How does this fit into the discussions we need to have about accessibility? People with disabilities are not asking for much.
Mr. Speaker, the question posed by the member for Shefford raises an important issue about access and taking steps to reduce barriers to help those living with disabilities.
The member for Carleton provided a concrete measure in his bill that would help persons with disabilities be able to have that opportunity to enter the workforce through free, concrete measures within that bill, namely measurement, action and enforcement. It was very disappointing that the Liberals voted against that very good bill.
Uqaqtittiji, inevitably, there will always be people with disabilities who cannot be gainfully employed. I hope they are not going to be ineligible because of that.
I want to ask, instead, about indigenous peoples with disabilities and others who have disabilities who live in rural and remote communities, communities that have a higher cost of living. I wonder if the member agrees that maybe there needs to be a supplement to this benefit for people who live in rural and remote communities.
Mr. Speaker, what we have to do to address the cost of living is to tackle inflation, which is at a 40-year high. It is inflation that is the result of the Liberal government's out-of-control spending, propped up with the support of the NDP.
If the member is serious about reducing the cost of living and making life more affordable, that would be a good place to start.
Bob ZimmerConservative
Prince George—Peace River—Northern Rockies, BC
Mr. Speaker, we were talking about the lack of benefits for people with disabilities and the poverty that is often the reality for them, and the sad state where they are actually being given an option of using MAID as a terrible solution to the problem.
Could the member speak to that, and maybe to some of the reasons why we want to get behind our folks with disabilities in Canada?
Mr. Speaker, it speaks to the record of the Liberal government in not listening to persons with disabilities and disabilities rights organizations when they expressed alarm at the reasonably foreseeable criterion being struck down by one judge in one decision.
We have seen heartbreaking cases now of people who have turned to MAID because of such things as a lack of adequate housing, which is something completely not what MAID was set up to do. When I asked the Prime Minister a question about that, instead of addressing the issue, and instead of showing some compassion, he said that we were wrapped up in ideology. I think that speaks to his attitude toward Canadians living with disabilities and how insensitive he is.
If a member of a recognized party present in the House wishes to request a recorded division, or that the motion be adopted on division, I would invite them to rise and indicate it to the Chair.
Pursuant to order made on Thursday, June 23, the recorded division stands deferred until Tuesday, October 18, at the expiry of the time provided for Oral Questions.
The hon. member for Kingston and the Islands on a point of order.
