Sandra Hassan Deputy Minister of Labour and Associate Deputy Minister of Employment and Social Development, Department of Employment and Social Development

3:50 p.m.

Conservative

Tracy Gray Conservative Kelowna—Lake Country, BC

I was quoting the previous minister, Minister.

3:50 p.m.

Liberal

Kamal Khera Liberal Brampton West, ON

The Canada disability legislation puts forward a plan. We have to have regulations in place by June of this year, and that's exactly when we will have the regulations in place.

At the same time, I think it's important to underscore the fact that in this budget, our government has put forward $6.1 billion for the new Canada disability benefit, which is going to help more than 600,000 individuals with disabilities.

3:50 p.m.

Conservative

Tracy Gray Conservative Kelowna—Lake Country, BC

Thank you, Minister.

Going back to the timeline here, and back to my time, how many meetings with your provincial counterparts have you had on this since becoming minister nine months ago?

3:50 p.m.

Liberal

Kamal Khera Liberal Brampton West, ON

I think I've met with most of my counterparts already.

3:55 p.m.

Conservative

Tracy Gray Conservative Kelowna—Lake Country, BC

Are you saying that you haven't met with every one of your counterparts in the provinces and in the territories?

3:55 p.m.

Liberal

Kamal Khera Liberal Brampton West, ON

I have met with almost every single one of them.

As you can imagine, not everyone is available for—

3:55 p.m.

Conservative

Tracy Gray Conservative Kelowna—Lake Country, BC

In nine months, you haven't met with all of your counterparts. That's what you're saying.

3:55 p.m.

Liberal

Kamal Khera Liberal Brampton West, ON

I have met with the majority of my colleagues who have been available.

3:55 p.m.

Conservative

Tracy Gray Conservative Kelowna—Lake Country, BC

Which ones have you not met with?

3:55 p.m.

Liberal

Kamal Khera Liberal Brampton West, ON

I can provide you with that list.

3:55 p.m.

Conservative

Tracy Gray Conservative Kelowna—Lake Country, BC

Would you commit to sending to this committee a list of all the meetings that you have had with your provincial counterparts since July of 2023?

3:55 p.m.

Liberal

Kamal Khera Liberal Brampton West, ON

Absolutely.

3:55 p.m.

Conservative

Tracy Gray Conservative Kelowna—Lake Country, BC

Would you not consider this a priority, considering that this is a priority of your government and is in your mandate letter?

You haven't even met with your provincial counterparts, which is what has to occur in order for the regulations to be finalized. Don't you think that's surprising?

3:55 p.m.

Liberal

Kamal Khera Liberal Brampton West, ON

I actually have met with most of my colleagues. Perhaps because there have been elections in different provinces or the ministers have changed, I have not engaged with one or two of them.

In fact, we have been doing this work from the very beginning, because one fundamental thing we want to make sure of is that provinces do not claw back any of the benefits that the federal government is putting forward when it comes to the Canada disability benefit.

Those conversations have been very preliminary. I've been having very positive conversations with my colleagues.

What this budget allows us to do is actually a lot and ensure that we actually [Inaudible—Editor] this work—

3:55 p.m.

Conservative

Tracy Gray Conservative Kelowna—Lake Country, BC

I would actually submit that this is a new talking point. That's not something you have said before.

3:55 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Bobby Morrissey

Thank you, Mrs. Gray. We went a little over, but it was a good exchange.

Now we'll go to Mr. Coteau for six minutes.

3:55 p.m.

Liberal

Michael Coteau Liberal Don Valley East, ON

Thank you, Minister, for being here to join us at our committee.

I want to start by thanking you for the work you have been doing around anti-racism and all the work around the Canada disability benefit. I want to thank you for the work you have been doing, because I think we're in a place where we continue to build. We're part of a government that has brought forward new programs in a way we've never seen before.

Over the last 30 or 40 years, we haven't seen new national programs at this level being developed. I think establishing dental care, a national child care program, a student nutrition program and this historic benefit plan that you have brought forward is quite extraordinary. Thank you for the work you have been doing.

Today I want to talk about your work around anti-racism. I know the new strategy is being brought forward. You started off by saying that there was a lot learned during the last strategy. I would be interested in hearing about that, but before we get into that, I would like to just make a comment around where we are as a country when it comes to racism.

As you know, Minister, I did a lot of work in Ontario. I was the minister for anti-racism, where we put forward our own strategy. Back in 2015-16, we saw a drastic increase in online hate. I thought it was isolated specifically around that time period, but I have seen over the last several years a drastic increase in online hate and also in hate incidents in general.

It is our job as politicians to identify it and to track it and to collect the data—no data, no problem. That's why it's important for us to collect that information and to put in place anything we can do to mitigate the growth of that type of hate and stop it.

I want to thank you for the work you have been doing. You mentioned expanding the Decade for People of African Descent. I know that in my community, in the Black community in Toronto and across this country, there have been a lot of efforts made there. I just want to say thank you.

I also want to comment on one more piece before I ask you for a bit of those learnings and maybe go into a bit more detail around the strategy.

Last week we saw the Leader of the Opposition pull into a camp where there was an alt-right organization. That's what the major media have said. Up until this point, I haven't heard the Leader of the Opposition even comment on it. I do think it's important.

Yes, someone can stumble into a place. You can be in a place and realize, “Wait a minute; what am I doing here?”, and you can speak on that. You can speak to the issue and you can apologize for those actions, but I have heard nothing from the Leader of the Opposition.

I want you to reflect on why it is important for us to address racism head on and talk about these issues. What is this plan going to do to move us along as a country?

I think it's important for us, especially in this day and age, to stick together and build off of what made this country so successful. It was what you said at the beginning, which is that it's our choice to be inclusive.

I will turn it over to you, Minister, for comment.

4 p.m.

Liberal

Kamal Khera Liberal Brampton West, ON

Thank you so much, Mr. Coteau, for all the work that you have done and continue to do as a champion. You and I have had many conversations around the work in addressing systemic racism within our own institution, because we know that it's real.

At the same time, we certainly see the rise in hate across this country. I know that there are many incidents outside the country that are having those effects in our community. It's really important, first and foremost as Canadians and particularly as leaders, that we denounce hate when we see it. It shouldn't be an “if and when”; when we see it, we should call it out. We have to be deliberate about doing that, because it's a responsibility for each and every one of us.

You're right. We see the Leader of the Opposition cozying up to dyed-in-the-wool supporters and white supremacists, and not denouncing that is quite shameful. It's not just reckless; it's quite dangerous. I think we need to be very attuned to what is happening, whether it is online or in our communities. I think we have to be doing a lot of work on that front.

I'm very proud of the work that we're leading, particularly with Canada's action plan on combatting hate. In fact, this really is about taking a whole-of-government approach in addressing hate, whether it is supporting grassroots organizations and building support there or whether it is enhancing security infrastructure programs within the public safety purview or collecting data. At the same time, it's about supporting victims, because we've seen incidents across the country, unfortunately, so we need to make sure that we're supporting victims as well.

In this particular budget, we've put forward $270 million for Canada's action plan on combatting hate, a plan that will address exactly the type of thing that you have mentioned. At the same time, soon we will be launching Canada's newest anti-racism strategy, which we'll be talking about. We want to ensure that Canadians see themselves in the work that's been happening. The world is not what it was a few years ago, and I think we need to be attuned to those realities and ensure that we're constantly working towards building a very inclusive Canada.

4 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Bobby Morrissey

Thank you, Mr. Coteau.

Ms. Chabot, you have the floor for six minutes.

4 p.m.

Bloc

Louise Chabot Bloc Thérèse-De Blainville, QC

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Good morning, Madam Minister. Thank you for being here.

I pinched myself when I read in budget 2024 that a maximum amount of $2,400 per year was announced for the Canada disability benefit. That's $200 a month, or, as the groups representing people with disabilities put it, $6 a day, starting in 2025.

As I understand it, you're not complying at all with the Accessible Canada Act, which was enthusiastically welcomed last year by all the groups consulted—I'd even say with jubilation and almost a hand over the heart—to show that, this time, we were there.

The act provided that the eligibility criteria, the conditions under which benefits would be paid, the amount of the benefit and the method of calculation would be defined by regulation, among other things, according to the “nothing without us” principle.

This is important for the government. The regulations were due to be tabled a year later, in a month's time.

We still don't have any regulations, there was no consultation with the people concerned for whom those regulations were to be defined, and now a maximum benefit of $2,400 is being announced as of July 2025.

Madam Minister, do you agree that what is historic is the total violation of the act?

4 p.m.

Liberal

Kamal Khera Liberal Brampton West, ON

Again, it's important to recognize, Mr. Chair, that for the first time in Canadian history, we have a statutory benefit and a Canada disability benefit that is funded. It is thanks to the relentless advocacy of the community that we're at this point.

As a government, we have been steadfast in our commitment to support persons with disabilities right across this country, and that is the next step.

4:05 p.m.

Bloc

Louise Chabot Bloc Thérèse-De Blainville, QC

Madam Minister, you're not answering my question.

For the first time, you want to make an election announcement, when the act clearly states that you must consult the people concerned on the regulations to be tabled.

I'm not even talking about the progress reports you had to present here to the committee and in other places in the House six months later.

You've almost violated the act, and you're telling us it's the first time.

It would be better if there was no first time and things were done properly.

How will you guarantee that, within a month, we will assure people with disabilities that they'll get regulations that correspond to the purpose of the act, which is to lift people out of poverty?

4:05 p.m.

Liberal

Kamal Khera Liberal Brampton West, ON

Mr. Chair, after the Canada disability benefit got royal assent, the last year since then has been the consultation period with the disability community in the true spirit of Nothing Without Us. There have been many round tables in which people with disabilities actually participated. In fact, I myself participated in different round tables, looking at the different intersectionalities of persons with disabilities, whether it was women with disabilities, whether it was seniors with disabilities, whether it was the regional intersectionality of ensuring those voices were heard. There were also online consultations that were put forward—

4:05 p.m.

Bloc

Louise Chabot Bloc Thérèse-De Blainville, QC

The groups themselves say that the details were announced using the motto “nothing without us” when there had been no real consultation with the disability community, which is not in line with the act.

How do you explain that the groups are really very angry and disappointed?

4:05 p.m.

Liberal

Kamal Khera Liberal Brampton West, ON

As I mentioned, I think it's important once again to recognize the fact that, first and foremost, we have a statutory benefit for the first time in Canadian history. I think that is significant.

When it comes to the consultations, as I was mentioning, we have consulted not only with the community; there was also an online consultation in which thousands of persons with disabilities participated alongside their caregivers. All that will be put in the regulations that will be put forward in June of this year. I'm sure you'll be very happy to see some of those results.