Statement on International Day of Persons with Disabilities
Today is International Day of Persons with Disabilities. On this day, we commit to continue to work to identify, remove, and prevent barriers that still exist and increase the opportunities available to persons with disabilities, to build a Canada that is fairer, more inclusive, and accessible for everyone.
The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted some of the long-standing barriers Canadians with disabilities have faced for decades. From the onset of the pandemic, we have taken important steps to help remove barriers and promote inclusion. When COVID-19 hit, we immediately provided $600 in direct financial support to nearly 1.7 million Canadians with disabilities through the One-Time Payment for Persons with Disabilities. As well, in recognition of persons with disabilities having been disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, our government established the COVID‑19 Disability Advisory Group to advise the government on how it could put a disability lens on its emergency response to ensure the real-time lived experience of Canadians with disabilities were considered.
We have always worked across government to make federal laws, policies, procedures and programs more equitable and inclusive of Canadians with disabilities. Our government established Canada's first Minister responsible for persons with disabilities in 2015. With a dedicated team in place to support Canadians with disabilities, our government:
Held landmark consultations and passed the Accessible Canada Act.
Established the Accessible Standards Canada in 2019. With a requirement that the majority of board members are persons with disabilities, the development of accessibility standards will support the realization of a barrier-free Canada.
Committed to the creation of the Disability Inclusion Plan; to include a new Canada Disability Benefit; improved processes for eligibility for federal disability programs and benefits, and a robust employment strategy for Canadians with disabilities.
Applied a disability lens to our flagship policies and programs, such as the historic investment in inclusive and accessible childcare.
Included persons with disabilities in federal decision-making. Recent examples include the COVID-19 Disability Advisory Group that was established to apply a disability lens to the federal response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Composed of disability experts, CDAG advice contributed to broad government support being disability-inclusive, and to targeted funding for seniors and students with disabilities, as well as a one-time payment to persons with disabilities.
Adhered to our international human rights obligations: we signed the Optional Protocol to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), and appointed the Canadian Human Rights Commission to monitor the UNCRPD. We announced a Canadian candidate for the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities 2022 election.
In the previous Parliament, we tabled the Canada Disability Benefit Act, a cornerstone of the Disability Inclusion Action Plan, to support the financial security of hundreds of thousands of persons with disabilities in Canada. We are also working to address the financial security of Canadians with disabilities through important changes to the Registered Disability Savings Plan (RDSP).
We are always reforming the eligibility process for federal disability programs and benefits to maximize the reach of these programs and improve the lives of Canadians living with disabilities. For example, our government expanded the eligibility criteria for the Disability Tax Credit so that an additional 45,000 persons with disabilities could access this vital tax credit.
Most importantly, our government has worked to expand workplace opportunities for Canadians with disabilities. The 2020 Fall Economic Statement provided an additional $65M in 2021-2022 to further support training and career advancement for persons with disabilities, as well as supports to employers to help create more inclusive and accessible workplaces. In response to pandemic challenges, a new National Workplace Accessibility Stream was announced to help Canadians with disabilities and their employers improve workplace accessibility and access to jobs in response to COVID-19.
Our government has made Canada Student Loans more accessible by increasing the cap on the Canada Student Grant for Services and Equipment for Students with Permanent Disabilities from $8,000 to $20,000 per year, to help students with permanent disabilities afford the necessary services and equipment for their studies.
And, for Canadians with disabilities who face financial barriers while entering the workforce, our government increased the income level at which the Canada Workers Benefit is phased out and increasing the maximum benefit available through the Canada Workers Benefit disability supplement.
Moving forward, there is much more work to be done. This includes implementing an ambitious Disability Inclusion Action Plan, with concrete actions the government will take to improve the lives of Canadians with disabilities. The plan will be informed through consultation and engagement with the disability community, and will focus on key areas including financial security, employment, inclusive spaces, and taking a modern approach to disability in government programs and services. At the heart of this plan will be the design and delivery of the Canada Disability Benefit that will address the longstanding financial hardship felt by persons with disabilities and create a more disability-inclusive economy and society.
Together, we can remove and prevent barriers to accessibility and make a difference with and for people with disabilities.
