The federal government often says it wants to build Canada strong.
But when it comes to people with disabilities — who account for over a quarter of all Canadians over 15 — Canada continues to rely on outdated and inefficient disability support systems.
Every Canadian Counts, a volunteer-led non-profit, is proposing a transformative solution: the creation of a publicly funded National Disability Insurance Program.
Before we get into the details of such a program, it is important to underscore the scale of the problem.
Across the country, disability support systems are marked by troubling inconsistencies and inequities. Many individuals with disabilities, their families, and group homes receive far less support than they need.
Some parents have to put their children with disabilities in foster care so they can receive adequate care. Others balance the full-time work of arranging care for their children on top of their paid employment.
Many group homes are forced to cut services or increase occupancy to remain financially viable.
On top of this, services for people with disabilities and their families are often delivered in inefficient ways. This is due in part to lack of knowledge sharing between government departments and service organizations, and a lack of data about what people with disabilities and their families need.
A publicly funded National Disability Insurance Program would help address these problems.
This program would provide comprehensive, lifetime support for individuals with lifelong disabilities from birth through end of life, or at the point their disability arises.
If it followed the model of other programs, the National Disability Insurance Program could be funded through a dedicated levy as well as general government revenue. In Australia, for example, Australia increased its Medicare levy from 1.5 to 2 per cent of taxable income to help fund its disability insurance scheme.
A National Disability Insurance Program would cover a full spectrum of disability-related supports, including paid caregiving, home and vehicle modifications, assistive technologies, and life skills and job training. Here, too, the model could follow Australia’s scheme, allocating funding to individuals across these different support categories for them to use over a 12-month period.
The impact of such a program would be profound. It would ensure income security, eliminate stigma, and promote equity with dignity.
It would also improve economic sustainability, by growing the labour force. Currently, an estimated 742,000 Canadians with disabilities are willing to work but are unable to do so due to inadequate supports. If they had better supports, these individuals could join the workforce.
The current system also places immense strain on caregivers (most often women) who frequently leave the workforce to provide unpaid care. Caregiving currently removes the equivalent of 558,000 full-time workers from the Canadian workforce each year. With access to paid caregiving, many could return to work, contributing to the economy and securing their own futures.
The program would also generate significant cost savings by reducing reliance on crisis interventions, including in health-care systems, homelessness services, treatments for mental illness and incarceration. Research consistently demonstrates the economic and social benefits of a national disability insurance model.
Such a program would also position Canada as a global leader in disability inclusion and ensure compliance with international human rights commitments, including the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
The case for action is clear. Individual Canadians and service organizations have consistently demanded reform to disability supports, while demographic pressures and rising health-care costs expose the unsustainability of the current patchwork system.
The next steps are clear. The federal government must lead a comprehensive assessment of the feasibility, viability, and desirability of the National Disability Insurance Program, building on existing research.
At the same time, the federal government needs to engage with people and organizations about how a National Disability Insurance Program could benefit them.
Canadians are eager for true nation-building projects that can bring our diverse communities together. The National Disability Insurance Program offers us this opportunity. The time is now for this next level of disability support. Simply put, it’s the right thing to do.
How about some details like how much benefits should be? And how should these be varied for various levels of disability? Why is a separate program required as opposed to a refundable disability tax credit? Or a disability supplement to a basic income?
Mark Currently it is very difficult to qualify for the CRA disability tax credit. As a social worker working with those with newly diagnosed Schizophrenia I was shocked to see most did not qualify thud their caregiving parents could not claim a deduction despite missing a month of work to care for them
The issue I take is the idea that we need another program because the one we have (a disability tax credit) isn’t structured (as refundable) or administered (so that those who really need it get it) properly.
That’s the line of thinking that’s got us into the bureaucratic government mess that we have.
Why people should not have all they need to fully be able to participate within their society and be able to be employed in jobs that pay well. I SAY YES TO A NATIONAL DISABILITY INSURANCE PROGRAM WE ALL HAVE VALUE AND WE ALL HAVE QUALITIES THAT CAN BENEFIT ALL SOCIETY. STOP THE STUPID AND CRUE DISCRIMINATION. NO ONE SHOULD BE EXCLUDED AND FORCED TO LIVE ABUSE AND POVERTY BECAUSE OF WHO THEY ARE OR BECAUSE OF THEIR SPECIFIC NEEDS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I STRONGLY AGREE WITH THE IDEA OF HAVING A NATIONAL DISABILITY INSURANCE SYSTEM OR PROGRAM SO THOSE OF US WHO LIVE WITH DISABILITIES WILL FINALLY BE ABLE TO PARTICIPATE FULLY WITHIN CANADIAN SOCIETY REGARDLESS OF OUR SPECIFIC NEEDS. HAVING THE RESOURCES FINANCIAL OR OTHERWISE THAT ENABLE US NOT JUST TO FUNCTION AND SURVIVE BUT ALSO TO LIVE AND TO CONTRIBUTE TO OUR SOCIETY. WE TOO HAVE ABILITIES, QUALITIES, TALENTS, EXPERIENCE, KNOWLEDGE, AND SKILLS THAT WE IN TURN CAN OFFER OUR SOCIETY THAT CAN BENEFIT THE REST OF SOCIETY. STOP EXCLUDING US. STOP ASSUMING THAT WE ARE USELESS BECAUSE OUR REALITIES ARE DIFFERENT. WE ARE ALL HUMAN BEINGS OF VALUE. WE ALL MATTER. THANK-YOU.