Recipients question $200 cap as provinces push for automatic enrollment in federal program
Thousands of Canadians with disabilities are finding the new Canada Disability Benefit (CDB) delivers less than expected, with payments as low as $53 a month despite Ottawa committing $6.1bn over six years, reported CBC News.
Mark Davison of Vancouver, who suffered a stroke two years ago, was told he would receive $53.36 monthly. He described the amount as “just like a sick joke.”
Service Canada later informed him the figure may have been miscalculated and that his benefit could be closer to the $200 maximum.
Still, Davison said he has received just over $100 across two months, enough for “half a bag of groceries.”
The program, passed by the House of Commons in 2023, pays up to $200 per month to Canadians aged 18 to 64 who hold an approved disability tax credit, with the first instalments distributed in July.
Employment and Social Development Canada acknowledged that some August payments were delayed because “the data contained within the direct deposit file for a limited number of client payments did not meet the specific technical requirements set out by financial institutions.”
The department said Service Canada reissued the delayed payments within three business days.
While some recipients welcomed the benefit, critics said the rollout has created barriers.
Toronto resident Kristina Hedley told CBC News her $200 payments arrived on time and were “a huge help” in covering essentials, but disability advocate Jay Woodruff argued the program was “purposefully created to be confusing” and discourages applications.
Woodruff said many remain stuck waiting for disability tax credit approvals, which are required to access the federal top-up.
The federal government projects the benefit will lift 25,000 people with disabilities and 15,000 of their family members out of poverty each year by 2028, though that figure is lower than earlier promises.
Davison said he expects Ottawa to honour its commitment: “If you’re going to help us deal with being disabled, then do it.”
Concerns are also rising at the provincial level.
The National Post reported that Alberta Social Services Minister Jason Nixon urged Ottawa to remove the standalone federal application and automatically enrol those already receiving provincial supports such as Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped.
Nixon said the federal requirements, including medical exams costing $200 to $400 in Alberta, present a “significant barrier.”
The province pledged to cover exam fees for AISH recipients, while Ottawa promised reimbursement nationwide but has yet to outline details.
Alberta’s Advocate for Persons with Disabilities, Greg McMeekin, agreed that Ottawa should reduce barriers through automatic enrollment.
Lee Stevens, a Calgary-based social policy consultant, told the National Post the federal design “could have easily automatically enrolled everyone who already qualified for the disability tax credit,” but instead introduced added costs and risks.
Stevens added that not structuring the CDB as a refundable credit creates the possibility of provinces clawing back payments as non-exempt income, a policy Alberta has already adopted.
As outlined by CTV News, the CDB is issued monthly on the third Thursday through direct deposit or cheque.
For July 2025 to June 2026, the maximum annual benefit is $2,400, or $200 per month, adjusted for inflation.
Eligibility requires an approved disability tax credit and a filed income tax return by April 30 each year.
