The federal government has the ball rolling on the Canada Disability Benefit.
The benefit was a promise in the speech from the throne in September and will be modelled after the Guaranteed Income Supplement for seniors.
“It’s intended to complement other sources of income for persons with disabilities, such as the Canada Pension Plan or provincial and territorial social assistance,” noted Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion Minister Carla Qualtrough.
The Minister notes the legislation introduced Tuesday is meant as a framework and doesn’t establish specific design elements.
“This a plan designed to help improve the financial security of people with disabilities in Canada,” Qualtrough added. “It will be ambitious, evolve over time and will have a focus on action.”
The Minister confirmed she’ll meet with provincial and territorial counterparts on Wednesday, July 21 to discuss the benefit.
