Over 70 MPs from across party lines have signed a letter in support of fast-tracking a new Canada Disability Benefit. You can view the letter below or download it.
The federal government promised to introduce the benefit in 2020, with the potential to lift 1.5 million Canadians out of poverty. They repeated this commitment in their 2021 election platform, but there was no mention of it in the 2021 Speech to the Throne, the fall fiscal update, or last week’s federal budget.
Now, a letter co-signed by Bloc Québécois Disability Critic Louise Chabot on behalf of the entire Bloc caucus, Conservative MPs Scott Aitchison and Marilyn Gladu, Green MPs Elizabeth May and Mike Morrice, over 35 Liberal MPs, and independent MP Kevin Vuong, is asking the government to not only prioritize the benefit but to ensure people living with disabilities are involved in its development and implementation.
The letter follows a petition sponsored by MP Mike Morrice which attracted the signatures of almost 18,000 Canadians, as well as a letter of support co-signed by 43 Senators.
The petition was drafted by Michelle Hewitt, Co-Chair of Disability Without Poverty, who hopes it will address a longstanding gap in Canada’s social safety net while honouring its commitment to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.