QUESTION PERIOD — Employment and Social Development
Canada Disability Benefit
June 22, 2021
Honourable senators, my question is for the government leader in the Senate.
In a Speech from the Throne last September, the Trudeau government promised to create a new Canadian disability benefit. This government did not see fit to include this benefit in Bill C-30, the first budget implementation act in two years. Today, the government finally brought forward legislation to implement this benefit one day before the end of the current parliamentary session. With no time left to deal meaningfully with this bill and a federal election looming, this legislation is coming far too late, leader, for millions of Canadians and their families.
Leader, is this last-minute bill yet just another sign that disabled Canadians remain an afterthought for this Trudeau government?
Thank you for the question. I can give you a short answer. The answer is no. That this bill has taken as long as it did to finally be introduced in Parliament was a function of the consultations the minister and her staff had with representatives of disabled communities across the country. These consultations were not easy and were protracted — and understandably so, given the diversity of issues and points of view that members of these communities have. Therefore, it is the hope of the government that when work resumes after the summer that progress will be made in moving that bill through the House and ultimately here into the chamber.
Leader, back in February both Senator Munson and I asked your government to do all it could to help give priority to Canadians with disabilities for COVID-19 vaccinations based on research from the U.K. No answer was ever provided.
Senator Seidman and I have asked this government how many facilities exist for people with disabilities across Canada who experience COVID-19 outbreaks. In fact, we have asked for this information three times, leader, over the last year. How many people with disabilities in Canada have died from COVID-19? Again, no answer was ever provided. The Trudeau government won’t say.
Leader, why should Canadians with disabilities believe the Trudeau government cares about their needs when there is so much evidence to say otherwise?
Thank you for your question. I regret that you have not yet received an answer. The information is gathered by provinces and aggregated and shared — when it is shared — with the federal government. I will make further inquiries. It’s a legitimate question.
Canadians with or without disabilities should have confidence that this government is doing its very best to help them get through this difficult period. In that regard the government stands by its record and is proud of the help it has given to all Canadians, whether fully able, disabled or otherwise.
I will respectfully disagree, leader, and my question also concerns Canadians with disabilities, and specifically a recent joint study from the University of British Columbia and the Abilities Centre in Ontario which was founded by our late colleague the Honourable Jim Flaherty. Among its findings, a majority of respondents to the COVID-19 disability survey indicated that during the pandemic their needs were not being met in such areas as income support, specialized health care, peer support, access to food, shops, groceries, accessible housing and transportation. As well, 82% of respondents have reported that the pandemic has negatively impacted their mental health.
Leader, actions speak louder than words. As mentioned earlier, we often do not get answers to the questions we ask — maybe six months later at best. Given that Canadians with disabilities continue to deal with many critical issues, why did your government think it was appropriate to introduce the disability benefit legislation at the last possible moment?
Thank you for your question, and I’m going to answer fully as best I can. To your last question, I explained to our honourable colleague that the legislation was introduced after consultation, and properly so, with members of the disabilities community and that’s the reason it was introduced when it was.
The problems you’ve outlined, honourable senator, faced by those in the disability community are real, pressing and challenging. Nothing I am about to say is to slough off the question or the significance of each and every member and their families to whom you have referred. With very few exceptions, the list of problems you mentioned are problems that lie exclusively within provincial jurisdiction.
I feel awkward saying that, because we are facing a real human situation, but adequate health care, medical services and mental health support are things that our Constitution gives exclusively to the provinces. The federal government has done its part and the provinces are doing their best and, unfortunately, it is not enough. Perhaps it could never be enough, but efforts have been made and are being made by the federal government and those speak for themselves.
Yes, as you say, actions speak louder than words, and any action and support to the disabilities community is long overdue.
Your government recently attempted, during a pandemic, to cut funding for accessible materials for Canadians with print-reading disabilities, as I have asked before. The rollout of the COVID relief benefits for Canadians who received the disability tax credit was anything but smooth, and it came long after many other groups in Canada had received emergency support. Also, under this government, the application process for the disability tax credit remains difficult and bureaucratic.
Leader, how does your government’s record, or lack thereof, in these specific areas help build a more inclusive Canada for people with disabilities?
Senator, that there were challenges with some of the rollouts of the programs is a story that has now been told many times, and the government has acknowledged during the piece, and continues to acknowledge, that there are lessons to be learned, and lessons are being learned.
The government stands behind the individuals, as well as organizations that represent them, and continues to use its best efforts and work hard to support people with disabilities across this country. I do not have at my fingertips the list of measures that have been taken, but I’d certainly be happy to share them with you outside this meeting. The fact remains that the government is committed and is acting in the best interest of Canadians with disabilities.
