Madam Speaker, I am very pleased to rise today to table e-petition 5035. Nearly 1,000 Canadians have signed the petition, demanding action on the Canada disability benefit.
The petitioners say that people with disabilities often face barriers to employment along with higher costs associated with health care and housing and that the proposed Canada disability benefit restricts eligibility to individuals receiving the disability tax credit known for its many barriers. There is a risk to life due to insufficient supports on current disability programs federally and provincially. They say that Canadians living with disabilities on provincial and federal disability benefits are struggling immensely with benefits significantly below the poverty line, with the cost of living crisis and with the ever-increasing amount of homelessness.
According to petitioners, the proposed Canada disability benefit outlined in budget 2024 is not what the disability community called for, falling short of the government's promises and the disability community's needs. They say that the proposed maximum amount of $200 per month is insufficient to alleviate poverty levels.
Petitioners are calling for action on the implementation of the fast track of a private member's bill, Bill C-403 from the member for Victoria and to allow Canadians who qualify for a provincial disability benefit or program or CPP disability to automatically qualify for the disability tax credit and the Canada disability benefit, in addition to several other measures which they urge the government to act on.