65 Appendix F: Government Supports in Canada for People with Disabilities

As the University of Calgary’s Disability Policy Research Program observes “Compiled data on supports and services for persons with disabilities is currently limited in Canada. This creates difficulties in understanding the extent to which provinces are meeting the needs of Canadians with disabilities, and how Canada is meeting its commitments under the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.”^[1]

The notion of public support for people with disabilities, or for public action on accessibility, simply did not exist in Canada until the 1943 report Report on Social Security for Canada (now colloquially referred to as the Marsh Report, named for Advisory Committee Chair on Reconstruction.^[2]  The Marsh Report, inspired by the Beveridge Report in the UK one year prior, contained an initial proposal for a broad-spectrum of welfare state reforms, including occupational disability and care-giver support, as well as universal access to medical care.  It would be over two more decades before most of these provisions would start to be implemented in practise.

Although Canada is now a relatively robust welfare state, the level of federal support directly for those living with disabilities is, according to a Scotiabank report, “among the lowest across OECD countries at around 0.7% of GDP”.^[3]  Denmark’s level of support, by comparison, is at 5% of GDP, and all of the Nordics spend at least five times more than Canada.

Among Canadian provinces over the last decade, Ontario ($9,157), Manitoba ($8,461), and Alberta ($8,228) provide the most cumulative support per capita to people with disabilities, with Atlantic Canadian provinces grouped at the bottom of per capita support. Newfoundland and Alberta’s government benefit programs to be re-indexed starting next year Labrador provides by far the least per capita cumulative support, at less than $500/year.^[4]

A number of provinces provide a basic income for people living with profound disabilities.  In Alberta, this is known as Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped (AISH), which costs the province currently about $1.3 billion per year.  It is provided for those with (typically) permanent debilitating medical diagnoses prior to the age of Old Age Security eligibility (another form of basic income, universally provided to all Canadians 65 years of age or older).  Prior to 2005, AISH had dropped to only 38% of of the Low Income Cutoff Line, or LICO, but between 2005 and 2014, AISH rates improved under pressure and lobbying from disability citizens groups, rising to 98.3% of the LICO – almost to the poverty line, the highest benefit level of all provinces. AISH rates have fallen slightly relative to the poverty line in more recent years, and AISH was untimely de-indexed from inflation in 2020.  Recently, Premier Smith announced that AISH will be re-indexed.^[5]  AISH is a monthly living allowance, but it also includes a monthly child benefit, health benefits and certain other personal benefits.  Another nearly $1 billion is provided in Alberta under the Persons with Developmental Disabilities (PDD) program, as well as $200 million through the Family Supports for Children with Disabilities (FSCD) program, and $150 through the Aids to Daily Living program.  There are a number of smaller programs investing in projects and community services, most notably the Assistive Devices Program, which provides funding and support to access assistive devices, such as mobility aids, hearing aids, and communication devices, and the Supports for Daily Living program, which provides financial assistance and support services for individuals with disabilities who require support with daily living activities, such as bathing, dressing, and meal preparation.  There is also a provincial Disability Tax Credit.

Bill C-22, a bill now into its 1st phase of designing the regulations for a Canada Disability Benefit after receiving royal assent in June 2023 (a narrower form of universal basic income targeted to those between the ages of 18 and 64).  The benefit  is premised on recognition that disability support payments were barely enough to cover rent even when housing was affordable and accessible, leaving little for food, clothes, accessibility aids, transportation or any “non-essential” items such as recreational activities.

A larger conversation for Basic Income is underway for Canadians with and without disabilities who are falling through the cracks due to eligibility. Nationally, a set of principles^[6] is advanced through the Basic Income Network while other groups are advocating for a universal dividend. A pilot basic income project involving 635 people in Prince Edward Island is underway that includes people who also receive social assistance and AccessAbility supports, as long as they meet certain criteria.

Quebec has also recently introduced a basic income for those with “severely limited capacity for employment”, for those with debilitating chronic illness or mental health diagnoses.^[7] The $1.5 billion Quebec program permits significantly greater scope for own-source employment to supplement without being clawed back.  The Canada Pension Plan (CPP) also has a disability benefit for those under 65 and a top-up for those over 65 but also experiencing “a mental or physical disability that regularly stops [one] from doing any type of substantially gainful work.”^[8]

The City of Calgary offers a variety of policies, programs, and services to support people with disabilities, including accessible transportation (including specialized bus services and accessible taxis), leisure and recreation programs., Employment support and training (including job search assistance, on-the-job training, and job placement services are offered through the government of Alberta. ),a variety of community inclusion and support services, including support for home modifications and accessibility-enhancing equipment and assistive technology. The City also attempts to ensure that public buildings and facilities are accessible to people with disabilities however there are great efforts to standardize the guidelines as the regulations at the federal level are created.^[9]