Madam Speaker, I thank the member from Edmonton for his question. He is well informed in this debate.
The task force concluded two specific recommendations. The first is that the role of the federal government should be to mitigate the cost of disability.
If we cannot make a disability go away, surely as an enlightened society one of our objectives would be that they do not have, in addition to the real obstacle that is presented by a disability, the other costs that go with that disability, such as the cost of the wheelchair, the cost of adapted transportation and so on.
Specifically, the medical services expense credit has been expanded to accommodate that. There is a list of items. There is the cost of an air conditioner if the person has conditions that require them to have air conditioning. It was dealt with.
The second thing has to do with the catch-22 that the member referred to. Many Canadians with disabilities want to go to work but cannot because they recognize that the moment they go to work they lose access to a variety of programs, usually provincial, that they need by virtue of that disability.
I refer to the changes in the limitations on the medical service and the disability tax credits that allow an increase in what might be covered under those credits.
That in itself will go a long way not only in terms of allowing people who are currently unemployed to go to work but also to take away the need for many people who are working to stop working so that they can access these programs.
It is a very real question put. It is a good question. The reality is that the budget spoke to it.