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PRESS RELEASE

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A Victory for People with Disabilities

 

It was a tremendous day for people with disabilities in Canada.  On November 20^th, their voices and concerns echoed through the House of Commons and were manifested in the 234 MPs who unanimously called on the government to develop a comprehensive program to level the playing field for persons with disabilities.  The motion that passed in House also called on the government to deal humanely with Canadians who claim the Disability Tax Credit (DTC) and endorsed our report, Getting it Right for Canadians, as the blueprint for action.  The House also called on the Department of Finance to withdraw its proposed amendments that would make the DTC even harder to get for people with severe disabilities.

 

Representatives of all parties on the Subcommittee had the following comments:

 

Carolyn Bennett (St. Paul’s, Lib.), Chair of the Subcommittee: The work of the subcommittee on persons with disabilities is really the best of Parliament.  The vote in the House shows that people of all political stripes recognize this.  It is clear that Parliament and Canadians are unanimous in their wish that people with disabilities should have equal citizenship.  It is high time that Finance and the Canadian Customs and Revenue Agency improve the tax system to ensure that it is fair, equitable and – most importantly – humane.

 

Madeleine Dalphond-Guiral (Laval Centre, B.Q.): While committees of Parliament have been recommending for years that the government review the administration of the disability tax credit, the message seems to have either been misunderstood or totally ignored.  I strongly support the struggle to ensure that the most vulnerable members of our society are entitled to fair and equitable treatment.  The true strength of democracy is felt when the actions and support of citizens is combined with the actions of their elected representatives.

 

Norman Doyle (St John’s East, P.C.): It behooves us to be extra sensitive -- not insensitive -- but extra sensitive to the harsh realities that are faced by many Canadians through no fault of their own.  Hopefully the government will move quickly to deal with this issue.

 

Wendy Lill (Dartmouth, N.D.P.): This was a victory for ordinary Canadians who are managing, who are loving and caring for one another. They are not looking for tears or pity; they are looking for dignity and respect, and a reasonable degree of assistance.  Parliament sent a clear message to the Department of Finance:  ‘Quit beating up on Canadians living with disabilities!’

 

Larry Spencer (Regina, Lumsden, Lake Centre, C.A.):  The government needs to be prudent in its spending.  However, to begrudge the small assistance the DTC gives to the disabled is neither humane nor prudent.  Good government is not about money, it is about people.

 

 

For further information contact:

Mike MacPherson

Clerk of the Subcommittee on the Status of Persons with Disabilities

947-6728

 

or

 

Rob White

Office of Carolyn Bennett, MP

995-9666