I would like to thank the committee for this opportunity to speak briefly today on Bill C-22, the Canada disability benefit, during this eighth anniversary of Indigenous Disability Awareness Month being celebrated across Canada.
My name is Neil Belanger and I'm a member of the Lax Seel Clan in the House of Nikateen of the Gitxsan nation. I am also the chief executive officer of Indigenous Disability Canada and executive director of the British Columbia Aboriginal Network on Disability Society.
Before I begin, I'd like to acknowledge the Esquimalt and Songhees peoples, whose territories I am pleased to live and work on and where I am presenting from today.
Over 1.8 million people identify as being indigenous in Canada. Indigenous people experience a rate of disability higher than that of the general population, at over 30%, equating to approximately 600,000 indigenous people living with a disability in Canada. In addition to higher rates of disability, indigenous people and communities experience higher rates of poverty. In 2016 it was reported by Stats Canada that four out of five communities, or 80% of indigenous communities, had a median income under the poverty line.
Over the past 30 years, our organization has provided a number of direct programs and services to indigenous persons with disabilities residing within indigenous and non-indigenous communities, with the overwhelming majority living in systemic poverty.
Living in systemic poverty restricts indigenous people with disabilities in their ability to be active and included members of their communities. In addition to poverty, indigenous people with disabilities face other barriers, such as anti-indigenous racism; lack of disability and health-related programs and services; lack of safe, affordable and accessible housing; inaccessible communities; gender-based violence; jurisdictional issues; lack of transportation; inequity in employment and education, and the list continues.
The implementation and delivery of the Canada disability benefit would assist indigenous people with disabilities in their ability to begin to address some of these barriers. That being said, additional and expanded programs, services and supports, federally, provincially and territorially, are necessary for all persons with disabilities. Without their implementation, we will never achieve a fully accessible Canada by 2040.
The need for a supplement such as the Canada disability benefit has always existed for persons with disabilities living in poverty. However, the urgency has increased exponentially due to inflation coupled with a national housing crisis.
While we cannot and would not speak for all indigenous people with disabilities in Canada, we know from our work and discussions with our clients that the need for the benefit is now and with no further delays, as they have waited long enough. We can no longer expect persons with disabilities living in poverty to do more with less and survive on the kindness of others, nor can we passively sit by and feign ignorance to the inequality they endure.
It is for these reasons and others that we would urge this committee to fast-track the passing of Bill C-22 and in doing so enable the work on the regulations to begin in partnership with and directed by indigenous and non-indigenous people with disabilities. We are in agreement with the process outlined by the Government of Canada for Bill C-22 and fully expect and are confident that we and other members of the indigenous and non-indigenous disability community will be at the table as partners in all aspects.
In addition to the fast-tracking of the bill, we would recommend the following during the development of the regulations:
One, as noted by others, ensure that the benefit is not a race to the bottom but a mechanism to substantially reduce the poverty experienced by persons with disabilities.
Two, ensure that the benefit takes into consideration the additional expenses and higher costs for necessities of living that persons with disabilities incur.
Three, ensure that the eligibility criteria for the benefit for working-age Canadians with disabilities aged 18 to 64 are as broad as possible.
Further, it is essential that the federal government continues to work with the provinces and territories to ensure that once the Canada disability benefit is implemented, no clawbacks or reductions in federal, provincial or territorial benefits or supplements occur.
As well, a number of other complementary initiatives to the Canada disability benefit should be engaged by the federal, provincial and territorial governments. Some of these include development of an ongoing anti-indigenous racism and disability discrimination awareness initiative; development and implementation of federal, provincial and territorial employment strategies for indigenous people with disabilities; implementation of generous annual earning exemptions across all jurisdictions for persons with disabilities who are able to work; expansion and lessening of restrictions pertaining to the enabling accessibility fund; increased federal, provincial and territorial budget allocations to departments providing resources to disability-related organizations and initiatives; and review and modification of the disability tax credit and registered disability savings plan programs and more.
In closing, I would like to thank the committee for this opportunity to speak today and to again express the urgency of getting this bill passed and then working on the regulation development. The time is now.
Thank you.