Mr. Speaker, this is an issue of deep concern for the people of Saanich—Gulf Islands and across Canada. Every MP in this place knows of this scandal, that people living with disabilities in this country are far more likely to be living in poverty. We voted and worked in this place to get the Canadian disability benefit through. However, at this point it is not lifting people out of poverty. Therefore, the petitioners are asking the House to look at the reality that the financial pressures from rising costs are disproportionately falling on these same people with disabilities across Canada. Any disability and emergency supports they receive end up occasionally being clawed back and are not treated as benefits they can keep.
The petitioners are very specifically relying on all of these facts and calling on the government to fix the Canadian disability benefit, alleviate the financial pressures and ensure that every person with disabilities across Canada receiving any disability support receive a one-time emergency support of $5,000 tax-free that is not means-tested and cannot be clawed back by any order of government.