Where's the Canada Disability Benefit?
In addition to Inclusion Canada submitting our own federal budget recommendations, supported by our federation, we have been working collaboratively with 34 national disability organizations on a six-week campaign to urge the government to adequately fund the Canada Disability Benefit (CDB) in the next federal budget. The C DB was passed in June 2023, but people with disabilities have not benefited from any funding yet and continue to live in poverty.
The federal budget will be presented in the House of Commons on April 16. Our campaign and the collective efforts of others are having an effect. Just this week, over 60 Liberal Members of Parliament (MPs) issued a letter to the Prime Minister and Finance Minister calling for the CDB to be adequately funded in the upcoming federal budget. We have also seen other MPs of other political parties raise the issue in Question Period.
As well, the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance released its pre-budget report to the government. You may recall that we presented to this committee several months ago with our recommendations focusing on the CDB and urging them to call on the government to make significant investments now for the CDB. We were so pleased that this all-party committee of MPs included a recommendation that the upcoming federal budget contain adequate funding for the CDB to bring people with disabilities out of poverty.
Over the next two weeks, leading up to the budget, we and other organizations will be amplifying our message to the government to #FundTheBenefitNow and ensure that adequate funding is included in this year's federal budget. Please re-post and share our social media campaign.
We believe we have momentum behind us.
You can still help.
If you haven't yet, please take a moment to tell your MP. This link makes sending a letter very easy.
Write to your MP here. >
|