Canadians living with disabilities say they’re being left behind by the Liberal government, after a promised disability benefit was not included in last week’s budget.
The Liberals promised in a Speech from the Throne in 2020 to create a Canadian Disability Benefit, modelled after the Guaranteed Income Supplement for Seniors. A bill to create the benefit was introduced in Parliament in June 2021, but it died on the order paper when the September election was called.
The Liberal re-election platform included a promise to reintroduce a Disability Benefit Act, and the benefit was included in the post-election mandate letter for Carla Qualtrough, as Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion.
Yet, the 2022 budget makes no mention of the Disability Benefit Act, or a Canada Disability Benefit, though it does include $272.6 million over five years in funding for an employment strategy for persons with disabilities.