Disabled benefit a budgetary bust

For years, the disability community and its allies have been arguing for improved benefits for our disabled, most of whom live in abject poverty.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s new budget, as one disgruntled advocate said, raised everyone’s hopes and then dashed them with his proposal.

Another said the disabled and their allies have collaborated, networked, fought and struggled but this result is just insulting. It’s hard to see it as a good start when they claim “once in a generation” kinds of rhetoric.

What the new budget proposes is a $200 a month supplement for about 600,000 disabled workingage Canadians provided they have a completed disability tax allowance from CRA. However, there is no assurance the extra small amount of allowance they will get will not be clawed back by provincial disability programs.

At the International Day of Eradication of Poverty held in 2023, Trudeau bragged Canada had halved the poverty rate with his Canada Child Benefit, $10 a day child care, kids dental care and increased old age pensions. He ended his talk with “I reaffirm our commitment to building a future where no one gets left behind.”

Trudeau first promised the Canada Disability Benefit in 2020, but it died when he called an election. It was reintroduced in 2022 and passed with full support from all members of Parliament in 2023. Recently, 47 Liberals sent a letter to the finance minister insisting the benefit be a priority which is supported by all Greens, NDP and many Conservatives.

Well, we got it, but according to Jennifer Robinson of Carleton University, “This is not likely to move the needle on poverty rates for the working age adults with disabilities.”

The amount that was recommended by many was that the disabled should receive $2,000 a month which is the amount of subsidy given to people impacted by COVID-19.

The Daily Bread Food Bank is also disappointed with the government effort pointing out that “additional funding and increased eligibility will be necessary to effect meaningful change.”

They also pointed out that “people with disabilities face a poverty rate twice as high as the rest of Canada, and are severely impacted by the growing affordability and cost-of-living crisis.”

In Ontario, the disabled under its disability plan receive all of $1,308 a month for a single person. If they manage to get the extra funds from Canada, that will go up to $1,508 a month less any clawback from Ontario if there is one.

The low income cut-off in Canada for a single person is $27,514 a year. A low income cut-off is the income below which a person will spend a greater share on the necessities of food, shelter and clothing.

When it comes to disability spending, out of 39 countries, Canada ranks 35th at 0.8 per cent of GDP. The only countries lower than Canada are Mexico, Colombia, Costa Rica and Turkey. The OECD average is two per cent and the U.S. is at one per cent.

Well done, Canada. Surely we can do better. Trudeau said he did not want anyone left behind, but that is what he did to the disabled.