New minister says she is focused on getting disability benefit 'right,' as advocates call for interim aid
CTV
As the disability community continues to wait for the federal government to put in place its long-promised Canada Disability Benefit, the new minister responsible says she is focused on getting the program 'right.'
As the disability community continues to wait for the federal government to put in place its long-promised Canada Disability Benefit, the new minister responsible says she is focused on getting the program "right."
"I know Canadians with disabilities want to see this benefit become a reality as soon as possible," Minister of Diversity, Inclusion and Persons with Disabilities Kamal Khera said in an interview with CTV News.
"This is going to be a generational national program. I think it's really important that we find the balance between, of course, the expediency and the care that it needs to make sure we get it right, with engagement with the community. So, that's exactly what I'm committed to in this new role."
Bill C-22, as it was titled, passed Parliament on June 20 with all-party support in the House and a handful of amendments made by the Senate.
Advanced by then-minister of employment, workforce development and disability inclusion Carla Qualtrough, there has been pressure on the federal Liberals to make good on this commitment for years, after a previous version of the bill died in the House with the call of the last federal election.
It proposes to create a federal income supplement for hundreds of thousands of low-income, working-age people with disabilities, modelled after the Guaranteed Income Supplement.
Federal statistics estimate that more than 900,000 working-age Canadians with disabilities live in poverty and just 55 per cent of Canadians with disabilities aged 25 to 64 have gainful employment.
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