Canada Disability Benefit Act  Madam Speaker, as I said, financial security is one part of a four-part approach to disability inclusion in Canada. The second part is employment. There are significant barriers for this untapped labour pool, and in a time of labour shortages, this is a group that could be contributing and sharing their talent and expertise with us more meaningfully.

Canada Disability Benefit Act  Madam Speaker, I was concerned, in moving forward with this legislation, that we were not to impose requirements or criteria on a population that has always been imposed upon. I was concerned that we would make it more difficult for provinces and territories to collaborate and harmonize if we were to be too prescriptive.

Canada Disability Benefit Act  Madam Speaker, part of the thinking behind making this framework legislation was to recognize the important role that provinces and territories play in this space. Conceptually, this is modelled after the guaranteed income supplement, so it would be supplemental income, in addition to other supports that individuals receive.

Canada Disability Benefit Act  Madam Speaker, I completely agree that a lot of the barriers that disable Canadians who have various impairments have been created by social construct. A lot of people are living in poverty in this country because they have been legislated into it and they cannot escape it, or they are afraid of taking that chance.

Canada Disability Benefit Act  Madam Speaker, I thank the member opposite for her collaboration on this really important piece of work. There are two fundamental reasons for proceeding in this way with framework legislation. One is because we want to include persons with disabilities and the disability community in this conversation.

Canada Disability Benefit Act  Madam Speaker, those are the exact points we are laser focused on as we move forward with this bill, and as we move forward into a regulatory process that would allow us the flexibility and public discourse to make sure we actually get where we want to go with this. We know there is such an important role to be played by provinces and territories.

Canada Disability Benefit Act  moved that Bill C-22, An Act to reduce poverty and to support the financial security of persons with disabilities by establishing the Canada disability benefit and making a consequential amendment to the Income Tax Act, be read the second time and referred to a committee. Madam Speaker, I am honoured to rise today for second reading of Bill C-22, an act to reduce poverty and to support the financial security of persons with disabilities by establishing the Canada disability benefit.

Persons with Disabilities  Mr. Speaker, since 2015, we have done so much as a government to help persons with disabilities, and I was honoured to reintroduce Bill C-22 in the House several weeks ago. We are working with the disability community to ensure that their needs and wants are reflected in the bill and that we lift as many people out of poverty as we can with the new Canada disability benefit.

Persons with Disabilities  Mr. Speaker, this morning I was pleased to join the Minister of Families, Children and Social Development and the President of the Treasury Board to announce that as part of our government's commitment to building a barrier-free Canada, we are investing $12.5 million in funding for 225 early learning and child care centres across Canada.

Persons with Disabilities  Mr. Speaker, I can assure everyone in the House that nobody is playing games, and the unacceptable levels of poverty among our citizens with disabilities are shameful. We are taking action. Starting with the Accessible Canada Act and most recently by introducing the Canada disability legislation, we are improving the lives of persons with disabilities.

Persons with Disabilities  Mr. Speaker, since 2015, our government has taken bold action to help persons with disabilities find and maintain employment and make Canada more inclusive. We have made significant progress, but persons with disabilities still face serious barriers in this country. That is why we are introducing the historic Canada disability benefit, which is an income supplement for working-age Canadians with disabilities.

Employment Insurance  Mr. Speaker, we are working very hard to modernize employment insurance. Quickly, when we got into the pandemic, we recognized that the EI system had not kept up with the way Canadians work. That is exactly why we are working to improve the system in terms of adequacy, in terms of access and in terms of the individuals who pay in and who do not yet have access.

Employment Insurance  Mr. Speaker, the pandemic has revealed that Canada must adapt its employment insurance system to the realities of the 21st century. Our government is currently holding consultations on how to modernize the system to make it more responsive to workers and employers. We need to strengthen the rights of workers hired through digital platforms and establish new provisions in the Income Tax Act to include that work in the calculation of hours needed to qualify for employment insurance and the Canada pension plan.

Persons with Disabilities  Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend from Newmarket—Aurora for his tireless work and advocacy for persons with disabilities. On this sixth annual National AccessAbility Week, I was proud to reintroduce legislation for the Canada disability benefit, an income supplement for working-age persons with disabilities.

Persons with Disabilities  Mr. Speaker, the Canada disability benefit has the potential to lift hundreds of thousands of working-age Canadians with disabilities out of poverty. Since we committed to creating this benefit, we have worked non-stop with the disability community and with the provinces and territories.