Not too late to better the Canada Disability Benefit

A human rights-based response to the draft regulations 

In 2022, 911,000 working-age people with disabilities lived below Canada’s poverty line, with single individuals facing poverty rates as high as 38.5 per cent. The Canada Disability Benefit (CDB) offers an opportunity to reduce poverty and support the financial security of people with disabilities, but its proposed design has several shortcomings. 

The federal government will have to redouble its efforts to meet Canada’s human rights responsibilities under international law. 

The government has published draft regulations that include specific parameters for the CDB, including eligibility criteria and benefit calculations.  

Maytree’s response to the government’s draft regulations is guided by a human rights-based approach grounded in principles of participation, accountability, and human dignity.  

People with disabilities have waited too long for this benefit. It is crucial to implement the CDB without delay, with a commitment to making necessary improvements as soon as possible. 

We urge the government to improve the proposed design in the following ways: 

• Increase the maximum benefit 
• Ease eligibility restrictions 
• Structure the CDB as a refundable tax credit 
• Individualize the CDB income threshold 
• Integrate the working income exemption into the income threshold