Responsive Menu
Logo for SelfAdvocateNet featuring a drawing of the Earth surrounded by people holding hands. Text reads, SelfAdvocateNet and Our Voice, Our Strength in bold letters.
Red text on a transparent background reads A BIG Thanks to our Sponsors! in a bold, cursive font.
A top-view of a wooden desk with a coffee cup, notepad, pen, smartphone, and sticky notes. In the center, a world map with the text Whats your story? is written in a cursive font.

Press Release: An historic move: Parliament passes law to fight disability poverty

Logo with text: disability without poverty on the left and le handicap sans pauvreté on the right, separated by a vertical line. The design includes a circular motif resembling interconnected people or links on the left.

Green background with white text that reads disability without poverty | le handicap sans pauvreté.

For Immediate Release

June 20, 2023

An historic move: Parliament passes law to fight disability poverty

(Toronto) – The promise of improved financial stability for people with disabilities living in poverty is now within reach as Bill C-22, also known as the Canada Disability Benefit, receives Royal Assent.

The Bill was approved by the House of Commons earlier this week and is now expected to be approved by the Senate later today or tomorrow and signed into law by the Governor General on Friday.

The Canada Disability Benefit Act will be a game changer for the 1.4 million people with disabilities living in poverty.

“It’s been a long journey. We are pleased that our Parliamentarians worked hard to get us to this point. People with disabilities now have a glimmer of hope for a better future. A little more money will help them buy food, over the counter medication and maybe even a hair cut,” says Rabia Khedr, National Director of Disability Without Poverty (DWP).

What began as a promise in the Speech from the Throne by the Prime Minister in September 2020, the Canada Disability Benefit became the purpose behind the launch of Disability Without Poverty, where we worked hard to mobilized people with disabilities and allies to help make the promise a reality.

Bill C-22 was officially tabled last year on June 2.  To encourage its passage through Parliament, we launched an open letter signed by over 200 prominent Canadians; an open letter signed by over 43 Senators; a Parliamentary e-petition sponsored by MP Mike Morrice and signed by 17,874 Canadians; we helped organize and promote a unanimous consent motion by MP Bonita Zarrillo and championed the work of Minister Carla Qualtrough.

Thanks to the tireless efforts of Minister Carla Qualtrough, Senator Brent Cotter and MP Bonita Zarrillo, and many others, including the voices of disabled persons across the country, the Bill is schedule to receive Royal Assent this week.

The Canada Disability Benefit now has a one-year deadline for regulations to be delivered. This is a process that must involve people with disabilities. “Today, we celebrate. tomorrow, we start the hard work of mobilizing to ensure nothing about us without us during the regulation process,” says Michelle Hewitt, Chair of DWP.

This is on Disability without poverty website go to the link here

Share:

More Posts

Logo featuring four abstract human figures in alternating blue and green, forming a circle. Below the figures, the text reads Community Living British Columbia.

A New Five Year Blueprint for Change on Home Sharing

Self Advocates Attention on Home Share Changes  Highlighting  this for Self Advocates  that basing it on in the plan  Throughout this work, self-advocates consistently described what matters most: • “People make sure I’m okay and that my home is safe.” • “People notice what’s not working and fix it so I can do well.” • “If something goes wrong, someone will look into it quickly and it gets fixed.” • “The people who work with me have the skills to

Community Living Month Oct 2026

October 2026 has been proclaimed Community Inclusion Month in British Columbia, recognizing the importance of building communities where everyone has the opportunity to belong, participate, and thrive. The proclamation is an important statement of what an inclusive province should look like: a place where everyone has opportunity, choice and control in their own lives, and where people with disabilities are welcomed as full and valued members of their communities. But a proclamation is only the beginning. The real work of

National Disability AI and Enabling Technology Virtual Summit 2026

1. Smart Homes for Independence Alexa Brill & Kathy Brill Self-Advocacy Ever wonder how people with significant disabilities can live independently? Hear from Alexa Brill and her Mom, Kathy Brill, on how Alexa uses smart home and other assistive technology to help her live independently in her own home. Also, learn how problems and barriers discovered along the way can be solved, and how her parents helped her achieve this independence. Alexa Brill Bio: Alexa Brill graduated with a Bachelor’s

Send Us A Message

Logo for SelfAdvocateNet featuring a drawing of the Earth surrounded by people holding hands. Text reads, SelfAdvocateNet and Our Voice, Our Strength in bold letters.
Red text on a transparent background reads A BIG Thanks to our Sponsors! in a bold, cursive font.
A top-view of a wooden desk with a coffee cup, notepad, pen, smartphone, and sticky notes. In the center, a world map with the text Whats your story? is written in a cursive font.
Scroll to Top