Finance committee  Oh, we'll have other things to say.

Finance committee  Ms. McLeod, no, it was.... When we had talked to Mr. Flaherty, we had spoken about making the disability tax credit refundable. He said, you know, I'll think about it, but I don't want the provinces grabbing back at it, because it would have been of no benefit to someone very po

Finance committee  No, I'm unaware of that. I was mostly speaking to the disability tax credit, making that refundable and having the provinces not take it back. That's the point I was making on that one.

Finance committee  There aren't. The criteria are somewhat similar, but it's the process of having to go through two processes. Some doctors do charge for the additional paperwork. You are talking about people who probably do not have a strong income at the time, having to apply for and pay for two

Finance committee  No, the disability tax credit is the one I was talking about in terms of registering under both.

Finance committee  Yes. I was really happy to hear Mr. Flaherty this morning speaking about that. For persons with disabilities, whether they are employed or not employed, that program has been excellent. There need to be some changes in regard to persons with intellectual disabilities, and I'm h

Finance committee  Yes, we are, actually. I would doubt that any persons with disabilities or their families would see anything wrong with the program. The program has been a good program.

Finance committee  We as an organization are sometimes inclined to complain about government, and we're inclined to kick government at all times, but this is a good program. We have told Mr. Flaherty that on several occasions.

Finance committee  Are you talking about the eligibility for the tax credit or—

Finance committee  The point I was making is it's important for us—and it's in the discussions we had with Mr. Flaherty—to make the disability tax credit fully refundable for persons who are not employed. It works for persons who are employed because they get the benefit of the tax credit. But to h

Finance committee  I'm not sure. The point I was making is to tie the eligibility for the disability tax credit to the Canada Pension Plan disability benefit. There are two separate systems right now in place for making persons eligible. If one is disabled, if one is, as I am, in a wheelchair, and

Finance committee  Some persons on provincial social assistance programs are looking forward to reaching 65 so they can be eligible for the Canada pension and the supplementary benefit. It is unfortunate that persons are wishing themselves to be older. With the possibility of the eligibility age of

Finance committee  One of the issues around the disability tax credit is, as I said, having it fully refundable for people who are not employed or who can't find employment. But the issue around that as well is that we don't want provinces grabbing back from people who are on social assistance. We

Finance committee  Yes. I totally agree with you, Mr. Brison. That is something we have discussed with Mr. Flaherty on a few occasions. It is fine for the 40% of employed persons with disabilities who have a taxable income, but the unemployment rate among persons with disabilities is upwards of 6

Finance committee  Thank you. We need new initiatives to improve access, including the regulation of new information technologies to ensure access, and the creation of a centre of excellence that would provide best practices information to employers, businesses, etc., on universal design options.