December 3rd marks the International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD). This year’s theme is “Amplifying the leadership of persons with disabilities for an inclusive and sustainable future”.
The federal government has been working in partnership with Canada’s disability community since day one in the true spirit of “Nothing Without Us”, placing persons with disabilities at the heart of decision-making processes. Since 2015, we have made historic investments and reached important milestones in our goal to build a barrier-free Canada by 2040.
Key milestones and programs:
- Budget 2024 proposed an investment of $6.1 billion over six years beginning in 2024-25, and $1.4 billion ongoing for the landmark Canada Disability Benefit, the first ever statutory, federal benefit designed for working-age persons with disabilities. As a government, we are moving forward to implement the CDB to support the financial security of hundreds of thousands of working-age Canadians with disabilities. Payments are set to go out by July 2025.
- This year also marks the 5th anniversary of the Accessible Canada Act, a landmark piece of legislation, under which our government launched Canada’s first ever Disability Inclusion Action Plan. The Disability Inclusion Action Plan has four pillars: Financial Security, Employment, Accessible and Inclusive Communities, and A Modern Approach to Disability.
- This year, we launched Canada’s first ever Employment Strategy for persons with disabilities, an important roadmap to closing the employment gap between persons with disabilities and those without by 2040.
- Our Enabling Accessibility Fund provides direct and tangible investments into making community spaces and workplaces e accessible; for example, installing a wheelchair ramp, accessible doors, or buying information and communication technology needed to make a space accessible.
- Through our Opportunities Fund, we are helping organizations and businesses hire, train, and retain employees with disabilities so that everyone who wants to work can find and keep meaningful employment.
- Last year, we launched the independent Canadian Business Disability Network, bringing together industry experts with member companies to help businesses attract, hire, and retain employees with disabilities.
- We are addressing in the needs of specific communities, such as investing to end the chronic shortage of sign language interpreters, boosting the number of books available in accessible formats, or launching Canada’s National Autism Strategy.
