Parliament returns Monday, April 13
Back to Bills
C-22Royal assent received

New Law Proposed: Help for Disabled Canadians and Poverty Reduction

Disability Benefit Act

Introduced Jun 2, 2022·Last discussed Jun 22, 2023
Summary

This new law creates the Canada Disability Benefit. It will give money to people with disabilities who are of working age. The goal is to help them have enough money to live on and to reduce poverty. This law affects Canadians with disabilities who meet specific requirements. The exact amount of money and who qualifies will be decided later through more rules. These rules will cover things like how to apply, how much money people will get, and how often they will get it. This law matters because it aims to help people with disabilities have a better quality of life. It recognizes that many people with disabilities struggle financially. It is a step towards making sure they have the support they need.

Where This Lands on Key Issues

Where this proposed law falls on the policy spectrums that Canadians care about

Taxes & Government SpendingExpand government programs significantly

The bill creates a new benefit and increases spending, moving it towards expanding government programs. The focus on reducing poverty and increasing security for people with disabilities indicates a significant expansion of social spending.

Housing & Cost of LivingGovernment housing investment

By providing more money to people with disabilities, the bill could help them afford housing and other cost of living expenses, but it doesn't directly address systemic housing issues. It provides a small boost towards affordability.

This bill
Bill Quality
Solid

This proposed law aims to reduce poverty for working-age people with disabilities by creating a new Canada Disability Benefit. However, many key details, like who exactly is eligible and how much money they'll get, are left to future regulations.

Things to Watch For

  • The actual amount of the benefit and who qualifies will be decided later through regulations.
  • Watch out for how the benefit interacts with existing provincial disability support programs.
  • The law doesn't specify a timeline for when the benefit will actually start being paid out.
  • The government gets broad powers to collect and use personal information to administer the benefit.
  • It is not clear how easy it will be to appeal decisions about eligibility or benefit amounts.
Progress

Click any step to learn what it means

What Do You Think?

Loading...

Discussion

Sign in to join the discussion.

Loading comments...