Bill C-22, An Act to reduce poverty and to support the financial security of persons with disabilities by establishing the Canada disability benefit and making a consequential amendment to the Income Tax Act, is currently being studied in the House of Commons at the Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities (HUMA).
Hearings have concluded, but many individuals and advocates including ISAC have submitted briefs outlining important considerations for the federal government as they discuss the creation of a Canada Disability Benefit.
ISAC’s recommendations for Bill C-22 are:
- Legislate to raise people with disabilities above the poverty line and include the cost of living with a disability.
- Guarantee automatic eligibility for people on pre-existing government disability programs and commit to develop an inclusive and expansive definition of eligibility for people applying directly for the Canada Disability Benefit.
- Include a timely dispute resolution process through an accessible administrative tribunal via statutory authority.
- Ensure that the Benefit is accessible to everyone by removing stringent identification requirements.
ISAC also provided a supplementary recommendation for any forthcoming regulations that would detail how the legislation should be carried out. ISAC recommended that Bill C-22 should target people with disabilities aged 18-64.
To read ISAC’s full submission to the HUMA Committee in English, click here (PDF).
La version français est ici (PDF).