‘Disability’ glaringly absent from federal cabinet portfolios
Does your government value persons with disabilities? That is the question I posed recently in a letter to Prime Minister Mark Carney and Minister of Jobs and Families Patty Hadju.
On May 13, Prime Minister Carney announced his new cabinet of 28 cabinet ministers and 10 secretaries of states, yet incredibly left Canadians with disabilities without any overt representation. He included women and gender equality in a ministerial position, seniors in a secretary of state position, yet the word “disability” is glaringly absent.
I urged the Prime Minister to consider amending one of the cabinet minister’s portfolios to raise the status of persons with disabilities and amend the ministerial title accordingly. Persons with disabilities need greater inclusion and visibility, not less. Has the schism against diversity, equity and inclusion in the U.S.A. spread north of the border? Or is the Prime Minister trying to appease Donald Trump’s horrible bias?
On June 6, the Prime Minister’s office seemed to declare representation by adding “(persons with disabilities)”, yes, in parentheses after the “Minister of Jobs and Families” in describing the role of the newly named Parliamentary Secretary. It’s embarrassing. Would it have been so difficult to change the “Minister of Jobs and Families” to the “Minister of Jobs, Families and Persons with Disabilities”?
Consider that 27 per cent of Canadians (8 million people, 15 years and older) have disabilities that limit daily activities, including one quarter of working-age adults. The previous Liberal government seemingly made transformational changes in the status of persons with disabilities with the first ministerial representation (2015), and more recently with the creation of the Canada Disability Benefit. The benefit arose from the realization that poverty is entrenched among a significant proportion of Canadians with complex disabilities. Provincial and territorial disability support programs remain grossly inadequate, leaving most in deep poverty. As a nation, we have accepted this condition for our most vulnerable for far too long.
The Canada Disability Benefit was intended to lift Canadians with disabilities out of poverty. The maximum benefit of $200/month was a great disappointment to those who were expecting enough to pay for rent and groceries each month. However, it is a start and for that I was grateful.
The proposed formulae for calculating a benefit were disclosed on the Service Canada website. Applicants require the Disability Tax Credit, which has been extremely difficult to obtain by persons with mental health disabilities. Thereafter, it considers working income and total net income between an individual and his/her spouse if applicable.
What it does not consider is medical expenses. In this oncologist’s viewpoint, this is a glaring oversight. Some anticancer biologic drugs cost thousands of dollars out of pocket each month. For example, someone who is paraplegic or quadriplegic may have very high out of pocket expenses: Take George, a 40-year-old Toronto man who is paraplegic and unable to work, and receives Canadian Pension Plan disability benefits of $12,000 per year. His spouse is employed and earns $50,000 per year. George has annual medical expenses of $25,000.
Under the formula, the net family working income is $50,000. Net family income is $62,000. Net income after medical expenses is just $37,000. After tax income may be below $35,000 – below the accepted poverty level considering the Market Basket Measure. Yet, given the family income, George is not eligible for the benefit.
Surely high medical expenses among those with complex disabilities are not that rare. I am ambulatory with a spinal cord injury and have group health insurance – and I still have more than $12,000 in annual out-of-pocket medical expenses. Shouldn’t we take care to ensure those in greatest need are eligible to receive the benefit?
The Canada Disability Benefit is set to launch in July. Let’s hope this government sees fit to improve upon the benefit eligibility. Canadians with disabilities shouldn’t be an afterthought by this government.
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Dr. Christopher Leighton is a retired Radiation Oncologist and Adjunct Professor in the Department of Oncology, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University. He has advocated for the rights of disabled persons throughout the pandemic including the prioritization of initial vaccinations, improved ventilation in schools, priority access to booster vaccinations, and evidence-based public health measures.