IRIS releases a new Policy Primer on the federal government’s plan to introduce the ‘Canadian Disability Benefit’
IRIS is excited to launch a new policy primer for disability communities and the general public about the federal government’s plan to introduce a national disability income benefit. In her blog post (below), author Sherri Torjman introduces the primer, and points to some of the reasons why we need to start conversations in our communities today about this major addition to federal income security programs. As Torjman says in the primer “Community voices must … Continued
New Publication – Six Key Elements for an Inclusive Labour Market
There is a growing recognition among employers, governments, and the public at large of the valuable contributions that people with disabilities bring to Canadian workplaces. At the same time, concerns about skills shortages and labour market supply issues have been a dominant theme of Canadian and international policy discussion. A recent report of the federal … Continued
New Report: Looking Into Poverty
Looking Into Poverty: Income Sources of Poor People with Disabilities in Canada, provides a detailed look at amounts of income that poor people with and without disabilities obtain from employment and from fourteen non-employment income sources. These include social assistance, the Canada and Quebec Pension Plan, private pensions and investments, spousal and child support and … Continued
The Employment of People with Disabilities: What’s Working?
Under the Labour Market Agreements for Persons with Disabilities (LMAPDs), the federal government continues to share with the provinces the cost of programs that seek to improve the employment prospects of people with disabilities. While there have been improvements in the employment sector since the early 2000s, there is still a long way to go … Continued
No More PALS, Now What?
Statistics Canada’s Participation and Activity Limitation Survey (PALS) of 2001 and 2006 was built on the predecessor Health and Activity Limitation Survey (HALS) of 1986 and 1991. These ‘flagship’ surveys on disability established a kind of international ‘gold standard’ for gathering and reporting statistical data on disability. In 2011, the Minister of Human Resources and … Continued
