The federal government has introduced a new disability benefit aimed at low-income Canadians with disabilities in the recently released budget.
Ottawa has also planned for $1.4 billion per year to keep the program running after that point.
Ottawa estimates the benefit will help over 600,000 low-income individuals, which is 13 percent of the approximately eight million Canadians over the age of 15 who have a disability, according to Statistics Canada figures.
StatCan says 27 percent of Canadians are limited in daily activities due to a disability and that number has increased by five percentage points, or 23 percent, since 2017.
Nearly a quarter of working-age Canadians have a disability, according to StatCan data, with the majority identifying a pain-related disability (63 percent). Mental health-related disabilities were the second most common reported at 46 percent, followed by flexibility challenges at 36 percent.
To apply for the new benefit, the federal government requires applicants to have a disability tax credit certificate.
Next Steps
Ottawa said it wants to “move forward as fast as possible” in getting through the regulatory development process. The government expects to publish the draft regulations for the Canada Disability Benefit as the next step in rolling out the program.Stakeholders and the public will have a chance to review the draft regulations and provide feedback, the government website said.
Once Ottawa has reviewed the feedback, it will publish the final draft of the regulations “at which time the design of the benefit will be complete,” it said.
The benefit is part of Canada’s Disability Inclusion Action Plan (DIAP), which was promised in the 2020 Speech from the Throne and legislated in June 2023 as the Canada Disability Benefit Act.
Ottawa said the plan “is based on the understanding that disability inclusion benefits everyone. The DIAP will evolve over time – the aim is to take action across the Government of Canada and make targeted investments to create lasting change.”
