Last week, Bill C-22, The Canada Disability Benefit passed Parliament, signalling victory for people with disabilities across Canada. The Bill proposes to create a federal income supplement for working age people with disabilities. Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion Carla Qualtrough calls this proposal a game changer that would benefit hundreds of thousands of people with disabilities, but questions remain about eligibility for the benefit and the amount that would be received.
SCIO is optimistic about the possibility of Canadians with disabilities being lifted out of poverty, and will monitor developments about the bill closely to keep our community informed.
“This is a historic day!” Qualtrough tweeted Tuesday evening. “This is the culmination of years of activism from members of the disability community. This is your victory.”
While many are indeed celebrating the historic milestone, some remain cautious about potential claw backs and are hopeful that the bill will be further amended to prevent private insurance companies from interfering with the benefit.
“I share the same excitement as Carla Qualtrough that C-22 is a historic victory for all Canadians with disabilities.” says Peter Athanasopoulos, SCIO’s Director of Public Policy “We hope that the regulations speak truth to what the objective of the Canadian Disability Benefit aims to achieve. At this point, it’s a wait and see until the regulations are completed.”
SCIO celebrates the passing of Bill-C22 in Parliament and will follow its progress closely.
