Self Advocatenet.com Coverage of Federal Budget
What in it for those with disabilities
highlight areas if they are any but
stay tune here is a live feed from today’s Federal budget of Canada
Here some highlights I gathered in budget is
1 Financial assistance for students
Budget 2021 proposes to invest $4.1 billion to help make postsecondary education more affordable, and to provide direct support to students with the greatest need. This includes:
- Doubling of the Canada Student Grants for two additional years.
- Waiving interest on federal student loans until March 31, 2023.
- Enhancing repayment assistance so that no person earning $40,000 per year or less will need to make any payments on their federal student loans.
- Extending disability supports for recipients of student financial assistance whose disabilities are persistent or prolonged, but not necessarily permanent.
Internship, apprenticeship, and work opportunities
Budget 2021 proposes to provide $708 million over five years, starting in 2021 22, to create at least 85,000 work-integrated learning placements that provide on-the-job learning and provide businesses with support to develop talent and grow.
It also proposes to provide $470 million over three years, beginning in 2021-22, to establish a new Apprenticeship Service. It would help 55,000 first-year apprentices in construction and manufacturing Red Seal trades connect with opportunities at small- and medium-sized employers, and provide an extra incentive for employers to hire women, racialized Canadians, and persons with disabilities.
The new Canada Digital Adoption Program will also create training and work opportunities for as many as 28,000 young people to help small- and medium-sized businesses across Canada adopt new technology.
Towards a New Disability Benefit
- Budget 2021 proposes to provide $11.9 million over three years, starting in 2021-22, to Employment and Social Development Canada to undertake consultations to reform the eligibility process for federal disability programs and benefits. This will help maximize the reach of these programs and improve the lives of Canadians living with disabilities. This work would feed directly into the design of a new disability benefit.
In preparation for legislation, the government will undertake extensive consultations with stakeholders on the design of the new benefit and engage with provinces and territories, which play a central role in providing support to many Canadians with disabilities. Employment and Social Development Canada will also establish a steering committee to oversee the development of this work, alongside the Canada Revenue Agency, the Department of Finance Canada and Veterans Affairs Canada.
- Budget 2021 proposes to update the list of mental functions of everyday life that is used for assessment for the Disability Tax Credit. Using terms that are more clinically relevant would make it easier to be assessed, reduce delays, and improve access to benefits.
- Budget 2021 also proposes to recognize more activities in determining time spent on life-sustaining therapy and to reduce the minimum required frequency of therapy to qualify for the Disability Tax Credit. To ensure these changes enable applicants to have a fair and proper assessment of their eligibility for the Disability Tax Credit, the government will undertake a review of these changes in 2023.
It is estimated that, as a result of these measures, an additional 45,000 people will qualify for the Disability Tax Credit, and related benefit programs linked to its eligibility, each year. This represents $376 million in additional support over five years, starting in 2021-22.
Making Our Communities and Workplaces More Accessible
Every day, hundreds of thousands of Canadians with disabilities face accessibility challenges. Organizations want to become more accessible but osts can be prohibitive, especially for smaller organizations. The Enabling Accessibility Fund provides funding for renovation, construction, and retrofit projects—from building ramps, to support for the hearing impaired, to automatic door openers—that make communities and workplaces more accessible for persons with disabilities. To reduce barriers to employment, activities, and programs for persons with disabilities:
- Budget 2021 proposes to provide additional funding of $100 million over two years, starting in 2021-22, to Employment and Social Development Canada to triple funding for the Enabling Accessibility Fund and support small and mid-sized projects with not-for-profit organizations, women’s shelters, child care centres, small municipalities, Indigenous organizations, territorial governments, small businesses, and businesses of all sizes. This would help offset the costs of renovations, retrofits, and accessible technologies in workplaces.
Better Palliative Care
To provide Canadians, including those who live in long-term care and their families, with better palliative and end-of-life care, including culturally sensitive care:
- Budget 2021 proposes to provide $29.8 million over six years, starting in 2021-22, to Health Canada to advance the government’s palliative care strategy and lay a better foundation for coordinated action on long-term and supportive care needs, improving access to quality palliative care. Initiatives could include: raising awareness of the importance of palliative care; providing public education on grief; improving palliative care skills and supports for health care providers, families, caregivers, and communities; enhancing data collection and research; and improving access to culturally sensitive palliative and end-of-life care.
Ensuring Appropriate Access and Safeguards for Medical Assistance in Dying
Medical assistance in dying (MAID) is a complex and deeply personal issue. MAID became law in Canada five years ago to provide relief, in certain cases, for those with reasonably foreseeable deaths. Recent amendments to the law, with the passage of Bill C-7 to expand access for those suffering intolerably, underscore the need to be responsive to the evolution of Canada’s MAID framework.
- Budget 2021 proposes to provide funding of $13.2 million over five years, beginning in 2021‑22, with $2.6 million per year ongoing, to Health Canada to ensure that Canada’s medical assistance in dying framework is implemented consistently and with all appropriate safeguards. Funding would support training and the development of guidance materials for practitioners, as well as support research to guide the evolution of medical assistance in dying in Canada.
PRESS RELEASE: Federal Budget 2021 – Some hope but there’s more work to be done
For Immediate Release
April 20, 2021
OTTAWA, ON – People with intellectual disabilities and their families had high hopes for Federal Budget 2021. In last year’s Throne Speech, the government committed to address significant gaps in our social infrastructure by investing in disability inclusion across the lifespan. We were pleased to see that some investments in disability have been made, however, more still needs to be done to ensure that people with disabilities are not left behind in Canada’s economic future and COVID-19 recovery strategy.
“People with intellectual disabilities and their families have been disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic,” says Krista Carr, Executive Vice President of Inclusion Canada, “we cannot build back better unless we ensure Canadians with disabilities and their families are not left behind.”
Access to inclusive, affordable, quality childcare is a priority for the families of people with intellectual disabilities. Following the budget announcement, Minister Carla Qualtrough, Minister of Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion, assured that Canada’s childcare plan will be inclusive of children with disabilities. We eagerly await further clarifications on the specifics in the days ahead.
During the September 2020 Speech from the Throne, the government committed to creating a Canadian Disability Benefit, better access to government disability programs (e.g. the Disability Tax Credit), and building a robust employment strategy for people with disabilities.
We are pleased to see commitments to consultations on a Canada Disability Benefit and to broaden eligibility criteria for the Disability Tax credit. However, urgent action is needed on these commitments to respond to the high levels of poverty and economic insecurity faced by people with disabilities and their families.
“People with disabilities are in desperate need of support now,” says Robin Acton, President of Inclusion Canada. “The pandemic has shone a bright light on the inequities faced by people with intellectual disabilities and their families. Urgent action to address these inequities is needed.”
Federal Budget 2021 was an opportunity to lay an inclusive foundation for pandemic recovery. While there are some promising elements in the budget, more needs to be done to ensure that people with intellectual disabilities and their families are not left behind.
This on Inclusion Canada Website go to the link here
CPAC COVERAGE LIVE STREAMING
A RECOVERY PLAN FOR JOBS, GROWTH, AND RESILIENCE
This on Govt of Canada website go to the link here or go click on picture below
