CACL Election 2008 Platform Analysis

The Voice of Persons with Disabilities is Being Heard

The Canadian Association for Community Living is pleased that all party platforms have made commitments on disability issues. It is clear that the voice of the community is having impact and being heard. In addition to explicit party commitments in platforms, it is also important to keep in mind the recent (May 2008) all-party motion that was passed unanimously by the House of Commons supporting ratification of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

The following provides a disability analysis of Federal election platforms for the Conservative Party of Canada, the Liberal Party, the New Democrat Party and the Green Party of Canada. CACL does not endorse any particular party or platform; the purpose of this analysis is to provide an overview of commitments to persons with disabilities.

The analysis uses the three issues CACL identified as election priorities as the benchmarks for reviewing party platforms. The three issues are:

1. Poverty – Make the Disability Tax Credit refundable for low income Canadians and establish specific participation targets for persons with disabilities within Labour Market Agreements;


2. UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities – Ratify by March 2009; and


3. Inclusive and Accessible Communities – ensure adequate financial investment to create inclusive and accessible communities; incorporate a disability lens in regards to general investments, government polices and programs to ensure that new and continued investments are inclusive and not creating new barriers and obstacles for people with disabilities.

Conservative Party of Canada

While the Conservative platform does not speak directly to any of the three issues CACL identified as election priorities, it does however make a commitment to families supporting a family member with a disability. The platform commits to:

• Income splitting for families where one spouse is not working full time in order to support a family member with a disability, and;
• Improvements to the Registered Disability Savings Plan by allowing the proceeds of a deceased individual’s RRSP or RRIF to be rolled over on a tax-deferred basis to the RDSP of a financially dependent infirm child or grandchild. unused RRSP and RIF rollovers tax free.

CACL issued a press release during the election campaign to applaud the move by the Conservative party to support families and address the poverty they experience but cautioned that investments in families cannot replace investments in individuals.

In addition to these platform commitments the Conservative party, while in office, delivered on their previous commitment to establish Registered Disability Savings Plan and developed and implemented an Enabling Accessibility Fund. The Conservatives have not yet taken action on their commitment to develop a Federal Disability Act.

Liberal Party

The Liberal platform provides a comprehensive poverty reduction strategy with an explicit commitment to make the Disability Tax Credit refundable for low income Canadians. Given that people with disabilities and their families face disproportionately high rates of poverty, CACL would assume that the 30-50 plan’s general measures aimed at reducing the number of people living in poverty by at least 30 percent and the number of children living in poverty by at least 50 percent, would include targets for people with disabilities and families.

Additionally, the Liberal platform commits to:

• Change CPP disability requirements to ensure that those with episodic illnesses aren’t penalized for working when they are able to, and;
• Use 2008/2009 federal spending as a base year and continue funding the programs included in that base year – this would include Social Development Partnerships Program – Disability which provides funds for CACL’s Community Inclusion Initiative.

New Democratic Party

The NDP platform provides a comprehensive strategy on disability issues. The platform addresses all of CACL’s election priorities and more. Additionally, the NDP endorsed End Exclusion’s National Plan of Action. In their platform the NDP commits to:

• Implement a Canadian Disabilities Action Plan based on the vision of an inclusive and accessible Canada. Our goal is to ensure the full participation of all persons with disabilities in every aspect of life.
• Develop and implement accessibility standards and laws for all areas under federal jurisdiction.
• Use federal government funding to leverage improvements to employment, public transit and services. For example, we will use universal design principles in federally-funded infrastructure initiatives.
• Make the federal disability tax credit fully refundable and accessible to all CPP disability pensioners.
• Establish a Canadian Disability Employment Fund to assist employers under federal jurisdiction with the costs of providing reasonable accommodation.
• Establish specific targets within labour market agreements negotiated with the provinces and territories to assist those with disabilities.
• Create a Canadian Disability Accommodation Commissioner to advise Parliament and the responsible minister on issues affecting persons with disabilities.
• Support a pan-Canadian strategy to stop violence and abuse of disabled persons.
• Establish nation-wide goals to ensure that every Canadian in need of non-acute care will receive an appropriate level of care, including home care.
• Immediately implement the UN Covenant on the Rights of People with Disabilities, which Canada signed.

The Green Party of Canada

The Green party explicitly commits to address the poverty of Canadians with disabilities and specifically endorses the Caledon Institute proposal for a basic income programme. The Green Party platform commits to:

• Institute a basic income for people living with disabilities so that none of them live in poverty by:
  • The conversion of the Disability Tax Credit (DTC) to a refundable credit as a first step in creating a national Basic Income program for working age adults with disabilities;
  • Establish rigorous “needs based” eligibility standards for basic income to permit an affordable benefit system that provides adequate benefit levels; and
  • Use a redesigned Canada Pension Plan/Disability Benefit (CPP/D) test to incorporate the DTC definition of disability and permit employment, rather than the CPP/D definition that requires a ‘severe’ disability to be life-long and to be the cause of any incapacity to pursue ‘any gainful occupation.’ The revised definition allows individuals to work while retaining eligibility for basic income.

CACL is pleased that three of the platforms explicitly respond to the calls for action from the disability community. CACL continues to encourage all members to get engaged in the election and meet with their candidates to discuss platforms and share information about the issues of importance for people with intellectual disabilities and their families.

Useful Online Resources

• CACL's Special Edition of INFO@ (Online Newsletter) including relevant documents
• Conservative Party of Canada - www.conservative.ca
• Liberal Party - www.liberal.ca
• New Democratic Party - www.ndp.ca
• Green Party of Canada - www.green.ca
• Information about casting your vote on election day from Elections Canada - elections.ca

If you have any questions or would like some additional information, please contact: Anna MacQuarrie at amacquarrie@cacl.ca