Thank you, Madam Chair and members of the committee, for inviting us to speak about the disability tax credit changes in Bill C-30. We appreciate the opportunity to address this really important issue.
Madam Chair, so you know, my colleague and I will be sharing the five minutes. We understand that we have five minutes as an organization.
My name is Jeff Willbond, and I am the chief accessibility officer at the March of Dimes Canada, the country's largest disability service provider. For more than 70 years, we have supported people with disabilities to live independently in their communities. Each year, we work with over 30,000 people with disabilities, along with family, caregivers, community partners, advocates and governments.
Financial security remains one of the most pressing issues facing people with disabilities in Canada. The disability tax credit is a critical gateway to federal benefits and tax credits that can materially improve dignity, autonomy and independence—that is, if people can access it.
I first began benefiting personally from the disability tax credit more than 30 years ago. Since then, I've worked hard to ensure that others in our community know about it and can receive it as well.
I want to state clearly that the reforms to the disability tax credit in the spring economic update are a step in the right direction. We welcome them, and we want to work with the government to go further.
The disability tax credit was originally designed to recognize the higher cost of living with a disability, but for too long, it has been more of a burden than a benefit for many of the people it's meant to serve. The Canada Revenue Agency reports that over 96% of completed disability tax credit applications are approved, yet only 25% of people with disabilities have ever applied. That gap is not about eligibility, but access. People don't apply because they don't know the disability tax credit exists, the forms are complex, the eligibility criteria are not clear, accessing a primary care practitioner is difficult and uninsured fees of $150 to $400 to complete an application form create a barrier, with no guarantee of approval. The result is over $2 billion in unclaimed disability tax credit benefits every year, as well as billions more in downstream benefits like the RDSP and the Canada disability benefit, which require disability tax credit eligibility.
The announced reforms—particularly those expanding the list of conditions requiring only a confirmation of diagnosis—represent meaningful progress. For someone with Down syndrome or cerebral palsy, like me, being able to confirm a diagnosis once and receive the disability tax credit for life is a profound change. It reduces cost; it reduces burden, and it treats people with dignity.
These are good first steps, and first steps really matter.
It's back to you, Madam Chair.