We can’t leave Canadians behind

As many people in Canada gathered around their tables during the recent Easter weekend, sharing warm meals with family and friends, there was a quieter, far less comfortable reality unfolding behind closed doors across the country.

For many people with disabilities, this holiday was not defined by abundance, but by impossible choices — between paying rent or buying groceries, between keeping the lights on or filling a prescription.

The rising cost of living in Canada has become a dominant national concern, but its impact is not felt equally. Inflation has driven up the price of basic necessities — food, housing, electricity and medication — at a pace that far outstrips income supports for the most vulnerable. Among those hit hardest are people with disabilities, many of whom rely on fixed or limited incomes that have not kept up with this rapid escalation in costs.

About 27 per cent of people in Canada live with a disability. And they are more than twice as likely to live in poverty compared to those without disabilities.

In this context, the Canada Disability Benefit (CDB) was introduced with the promise of reducing poverty and improving financial security for individuals. Yet its current form — the benefit amounts to roughly $6.66 per day — is not only inadequate but, frankly, disconnected from the lived reality of those it is meant to support.

While extra income is welcome, $6.66 a day does not buy dignity. It does not cover a meal, let alone contribute meaningfully to rent, utilities or essential medical expenses.

In cities and rural communities alike, housing costs alone can consume the majority of a person’s income. Add to that the rising price of groceries — where even basic staples have become noticeably more expensive — and the financial strain becomes overwhelming.

For individuals with disabilities, these pressures are often compounded by additional costs that others may not face: specialized diets, mobility aids, transportation and other disability related support. Medication, in particular, can be a significant and unavoidable expense. Yet for many, it becomes one of the first things sacrificed when budgets no longer stretch far enough.

This is the cruel arithmetic of poverty: when resources are scarce, survival takes precedence over health.

Skipping medication, delaying treatment or rationing doses becomes a coping mechanism — one that carries serious, long-term consequences. People with disabilities are navigating food, housing and economic anxiety and already face systemic barriers to employment along with social isolation.

Many people with disabilities are unable to even access the $6.66 a day because the government makes them jump hurdles. They first must apply for the Disability Tax Credit. Persons with disabilities need to have a family doctor who will fill it out or find one and pay them to do it.

To qualify for the CDB, a person with a disability is not simply assessed based on their own income, but also based on the income of people they live with. Put simply, the benefit remains too small, too restrictive and too difficult to access for many who need it most.

As a minimum starting point, the Canada Disability Benefit should be $1,393 a month, in line with the Guaranteed Income Supplement for Seniors and adjusted to reflect the cost of living with a disability. It should then be increased because the gap between income and cost of living continues to widen.

If Canada is serious about reducing poverty and promoting inclusion, then the approach must be bolder and more responsive to actual needs. This means aligning disability income supports with the true cost of living, ensuring that individuals can afford not just to survive, but to live with dignity. It also means recognizing that poverty is not just about income — it is about access, opportunity and the ability to participate fully in society.

No one should have to choose between rent and medication. No one should face hunger in a country of such abundance. And no one should be left behind by policies that fail to meet the realities of everyday life.

If the federal government is serious about building a strong Canada, it must include people with disabilities in that vision.

Krista Carr is CEO with Inclusion Canada, the national federation of 13 provincial/territorial member organizations and over 300 local associations working to advance the full inclusion and human rights of people with intellectual disabilities and their families.