OTTAWA – Following the release of new information by the federal government, MP Mike Morrice reveals their own estimates indicate the Canada Disability Benefit (CDB), as proposed in Budget 2024, would only lift 25,000 people with disabilities out of poverty.
“The CDB proposed in the 2024 budget would only lift 1.7% of the number of people with disabilities currently living in poverty above the poverty line, and even that won’t happen until 2028,” said Morrice. “How did this government get from their promise to lift hundreds of thousands of people with disabilities out of poverty to just 25,000?”
The information comes in a written reply to MP Morrice’s questions asked at a Parliamentary Committee on April 29th, with the federal government estimating that, “once fully mature (2027-28), the CDB will lift 25,000 working-age persons with disabilities… out of poverty each year”. According to Disability Without Poverty, as of 2021, 1.5 million people with disabilities live in poverty in Canada.
This comes after repeated statements from then Minister of Equity and Inclusion, Carla Qualtrough, in Parliament, indicating the benefit’s reach would be much larger. This includes stating “the Canada Disability Benefit has the potential to lift hundreds of thousands of working-age Canadians with disabilities out of poverty” on June 2, 2022.
“The federal government repeatedly cited the need to consult with people with disabilities as the reason for repeated delays to the Canada Disability Benefit,” said Morrice. “But this statement now confirms what folks with disabilities have been saying since the budget’s release – the Canada Disability Benefit, as proposed, is not what the disability community has been calling for.”
The federal government’s statement failed to confirm any consultations with the disability community that resulted in a recommendation of a benefit amount limited to only $200 per month, or a delayed start of July 2025. Additionally, the statement reveals a mere 3% of the 4,522 responses to the federal government’s online engagement tool, used to solicit feedback on CDB regulations, indicated support for the Disability Tax Credit as the sole eligibility criterion.
In their 2021 platform, the Liberal party promised a federal disability benefit that would “reduce poverty among persons with disabilities in the same manner as the Guaranteed Income Supplement and the Canada Child Benefit.” The Guaranteed Income Supplement is an over $15 billion dollar annual program with a maximum benefit amount of over $1,000 per month.
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For more information please contact:
Rosalind Horne
Director of Staff
MP Mike Morrice
226-749-2198