Every federal budget cycle includes a period for submissions well in advance of budget deliberations, followed by a pre-budget submission period closer to the time when the budget will be released.
ISAC submitted recommendations for the 2023 federal budget during the first submission period in October 2022 to the Standing Committee on Finance, and has submitted updated recommendations to the Department of Finance during the Winter 2023 pre-budget consultation period, which ends Friday, February 10.
Check out our federal budget recommendations below, and consider including them in your submission.
You can share your thoughts with the federal government by participating in their Budget 2023 survey here – don’t forget, you can always choose the “Other” option under any question and add more information.
You can also send a formal written submission to the Department of Finance using this form.
The Income Security Advocacy Centre makes the following six recommendations for the 2023 federal budget:
Recommendation 1 – Remove the accrual model for the 10 employer-paid sick days legislated in Bill C-3 and replace it with full access to 10 paid sick days per year immediately upon starting new employment and at the beginning of each calendar year.
Recommendation 2 – Increase the minimum wage for federally regulated workers to $20 an hour, while maintaining its annual indexation to the Consumer Price Index (CPI).
Recommendation 3 – Reform Employment Insurance (EI) into a fair and accessible program for all workers by setting a cross-Canada qualifying rule of 360 hours or 12 weeks for all benefits and setting a benefit floor at $500 per week.
Recommendation 4 – Implement a Canada Disability Benefit that brings people living with disabilities above the poverty line, that uses the broadest possible definition of disability to determine eligibility, and that is accessible to everyone who resides in Canada, regardless of their immigration status. Reduce barriers to tax filing to ensure people can access the benefit and include a timely appeal process through an accessible administrative tribunal.
Recommendation 5 – Address working-age single adult poverty by expanding the Canada Workers Benefit while reducing barriers to tax filing and including a timely appeal process through an accessible administrative tribunal.
Recommendation 6 – Extend eligibility for the Canada Child Benefit (CCB) to all children who reside in Canada, regardless of their parents’ immigration status. Invest in targeted community outreach strategies to reduce barriers and to ensure Indigenous communities can access the Benefit.
Click here to read the entire pre-budget submission in English in PDF format, or here for Word format.
Cliquez ici pour le recommandations en français au format PDF et ici au format Word.