June 21, 2023
Ottawa, ON – Yesterday, Bill C-22,
The Canada Disability Benefit Act, received final passage in the Senate. The legislation is expected to receive quick Royal Assent from Governor General, the Right Honourable Mary Simon.
Passage of this legislation creates for the first time a federal income supplement for people with disabilities in Canada. March of Dimes Canada applauds and thanks all Parliamentarians for their support of this historic legislation. We congratulate the Honourable Carla Qualtrough, Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion, for her successful stewardship of Bill C-22 in reaching this milestone on the road to finally ending disability poverty in Canada.
Recognizing that people with disabilities in Canada are twice as likely to live in poverty, March of Dimes Canada is enthusiastic about the potential impact of this forthcoming benefit in increasing financial security, independence and dignity for people with disabilities across the country.
“We thank all Parliamentarians for recognizing and responding to the urgent need for this once-in-a-generation income support by prioritizing the passage of Bill C-22,” said Leonard Baker, President and CEO of March of Dimes Canada. “We are also grateful to all the community organizations and individuals who advocated to keep this bill on the agenda and who testified to ensure it was informed by lived expertise of disability.”
With the legislative stage now complete, we look forward to the upcoming regulatory process, during which many important details about the Canada Disability Benefit will be determined through a co-creation process with the disability community. March of Dimes Canada is eager to engage as a co-creator by leveraging the findings from our recent
Benefit without Barriers report with Prosper Canada. As one of our community members noted:
“We are the experts…. We need to be at the table when [these applications] are being designed, to tell where the issues are. We should not be afterthoughts.”
As the regulatory process unfolds, March of Dimes Canada will continue to amplify our community members’ voices to ensure the Canada Disability Benefit is designed to meet the needs of people with disabilities. On this day, we re-commit to ensuring that the benefit, upon implementation, offers inclusive, person-centred, barrier-free access for people with disabilities in every corner of Canada.
