Shape the CDB Phase 1
Summary
More than 4500 disabled people across Canada answered this online questionnaire to tell us what they want from the Canada Disability Benefit (CDB). We reached many people from all walks of life with many types of disabilities, including those usually left out of important policy decisions.
People who answered the questionnaire could share their email address if they wanted to stay in touch with what Disability Without Poverty is doing to help bring the input of disabled people to the government. 1448 people, about one in three, shared their email. This shows that many people with disabilities in Canada want to be involved in decisions made about disability and disabled people.
From the answers to the questionnaire, we learned that:
- the CDB should help disabled people, giving them enough money to get out of poverty.
- Most people strongly believe that the government should have people with disabilities help create, put into action, and review the CDB.
- They also think that no disabled person should end up with less money after the CDB starts.
- This means that there can be no clawbacks, it should be easy to apply for the CDB, and that the government needs to think about all the extra costs disabled people have.
Though most people agreed about most questions, there were some areas where people had lots of different opinions, mostly about who should qualify for the benefit.
For example, some people were unsure if everyone who says they are disabled should qualify for the benefit. Some people are not sure if people who live in Canada but are not citizens should qualify. Some people think that disabled people who make more money should get less help from the CDB.
We’ll learn more in the next part of our project when people with disabilities from across Canada talk to each other directly about the CDB.
Learn more about Phase 2
Learn more about the capstone report