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June is the first month of eligibility for the . Though its first payments are expected in July, there’s still little information available on how people can apply to receive it.

Employment and Social Development Canada, the department responsible for the benefit, said a firm date for when applications will open hasn’t been set yet, but it confirmed it is expected to launch by the end of June, and said the will be updated in the coming weeks.

With tariffs, the economy and Canada’s relationship with the U.S. being top of mind leading into the election and in Prime Minister Carney’s first few weeks in office, advocates say issues specific to people with disabilities have been sidelined, citing the lack of a disability inclusion minister as proof.

The loss of disability inclusion minister

Canada has had a minister responsible for disability inclusion in some capacity since 2015.

The elimination of the portfolio is a “slap in the face” to the eight million people with disabilities in Canada, but it’s also “eminently fixable,” said David Lepofsky, who is blind and chair of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance.

He wrote to the prime minister on behalf of the AODA Alliance, asking him to assign the portfolio to one of the existing cabinet ministers, but said he hasn’t heard back.

The fact that there are portfolios for women, seniors and Indigenous people, but not for disabled people, sends a “very loud and clear” signal, said Lepofsky. “Disability is just not a priority.”

He recognized that having a dedicated minister won’t “guarantee success” when it comes to addressing issues affecting people with disabilities, like accessible and affordable housing, but said not having one will “guarantee that things are going to be worse.”

Is the disability benefit strong enough?

Rabia Khedr, national director of Disability Without Poverty and CEO of DEEN Support Services, a charity founded by Muslims with disabilities, said she’s glad the Canada Disability Benefit is now law, but is disappointed with the amount budgeted for it, some of its criteria and with how long it has taken to roll out.

At a maximum of $200 a month, the benefit is “too little for too few,” said Khedr.

The purpose of the Canada Disability Benefit Act is to “reduce poverty and support the financial security” of working-age people with disabilities. And while the act was going through second reading, Paula Qualtrough, then minister of employment, workforce development and disability inclusion, declared that “in Canada, no person with a disability should live in poverty.”

In 2020, 12 per cent of people with disabilities ages 25 to 64 were compared to seven per cent of people without disabilities, according to Statistics Canada.

Lepofsky said some disability organizations wanted to see the act strengthened to ensure it would fulfil its purpose of reducing poverty, but that they were told doing so would slow down the benefit’s rollout, and that with a committed cabinet minister to “steer it through,” things would be fine. The benefit that was announced turned out to be “miles short of what’s needed,” he said.

Now without a minister for disability inclusion, the possibility of the benefit being increased seems even more distant, though Khedr said she hopes Patty Hajdu, the minister of jobs and families, which now oversees Employment and Social Development Canada, will reach out to Disability Without Poverty and other groups that contributed to discussions about the benefit.

Khedr also raised concerned about the possibility of provincial governments clawing back their benefits for people with disabilities once the Canada Disability Benefit kicks in, and said amending the Income Tax Act to prevent that should be prioritized.

Disability Tax Credit reform

The Liberals included plans to reform the Disability Tax Credit in their election platform, but without a voice representing people with disabilities in cabinet, some are worried it won’t lead to an improvement.

The Disability Tax Credit is a non-refundable tax credit that aims to offset some of the costs associated with having a disability by lowering the amount of income tax people with disabilities and their supporting family members have to pay.

People with disabilities need to be eligible for the tax credit in order to be eligible for the Canada Disability Benefit, a regulation Khedr said comes with “extra hurdles.”

“It’s a lot of paperwork and it also requires a physician completing a portion of it,” which is a challenge with an ongoing doctor shortage, Khedr said.

“Some physicians feel that they’re gatekeepers,” and if they don’t think they’ve seen “disability significant enough to warrant somebody qualifying for this benefit,” they may not sign off on their application, she said. 

While it’s unclear what a reformed Disability Tax Credit might look like under Carney’s Liberal government — the Star contacted the Prime Minister’s Office, but did not get a response in time for publication — Khedr and Lepofsky stressed the application processes for disability benefits and tax credits should be streamlined so people who have already qualified for provincial disability benefits, like ODSP, for example, are automatically eligible for the Disability Tax Credit and Canada Disability Benefit.

“When times are tough we want to cut back government,” said Khedr. “This is one way to cut back.”