We are the unseen, the unheard and often the misunderstood sector of society. We need your help. Please sign this petition. 

Petition to: the House of Commons, the Government of Canada, RT Honorable Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Bill Morneau, Minister of Finance. 

We, the undersigned citizens and residents of Canada, call upon the House of Commons, the Government of Canada, and RT Honorable Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to:

Modernize the Canada Pension Plan Disability Act to Reflect a Living Wage.

Summary:

• Canadians eligible for CCPD have severe and prolonged disabilities.
• The average amount recipients receive monthly is $1010.26 with many receiving an even lower amount.
• Poverty rates in Canada vary from province to province, as do the minimum wage laws. The LICO (Low Income Poverty Rate) in 2020 for a single person is $25,920, which is more than double what an average CCPD recipient receives per year.
• People with severe and prolonged disabilities require more access to health care, medications, mental health, dental health, eye and hearing, and alternative wellness services than people without.
• The act ends at age 65 leaving people with even less income on Old Age Security, yet the disability remains the same or worsens with age. 
• Help us. Sign the petition and share. 

The Need is Real:

People experiencing the temporary effects that isolation from Covid have on them, are similar to the effects that people with disabilities live with year in and out. On the CCPD plan, people do not earn enough to pay for costs of care, food, shelter and other minimum living expenses. Often living in a world of isolation, with little to no social life, many recipients experience a very low quality of life. These people have slipped through the cracks and have not received any government assistance during this pandemic.

Yet the pandemic is only a piece of the problem. The $600 one time allowance bill put forth by the Liberal party, (not approved by the Conservatives,) would have been greatly appreciated by many. However it's truly just a bandaid for the financial distress CCPD recipients live with daily along with their physical and emotional distress.

Canadian Pension Plan Disability Now:

Canadians eligible for CCPD have severe and prolonged disabilities. Applicants are between the ages of 18 - 65 and have contributed to the CPP through employment deductions, up until the time they stop work due to their circumstance. CCPD converts to CCP at age 65. (Quebec has its' own QPP program.)

CPPD benefits are a taxable income, based on contributions, with maximum amounts in place. In 2020, the maximum one can receive is $1387.66 per month which includes the basic fixed amount for recipients of $505.79, plus an amount based on your total contributions. The average amount recipients receive is $1010.26 with many receiving an even lower amount. A recipient is allowed to earn up to $5800 yearly and after that amount, earnings if any, must be reported to CPPD. Payments are then adjusted (deducted) if there is any additional income from other sources.

The payment does not include any additional medical, mental health, dental, optometrist, or hearing benefits which may be included in the provincial plans.

Poverty in Canada:

Poverty rates in Canada vary from province to province, as do the minimum wage laws. The LICO (Low Income Poverty Rate) in 2020 for a single person is $25,920, which is more than double what an average CCPD recipient receives per year. https://www.settler.ca/english/lico-2020-canada/

People with severe and prolonged disabilities require more access to health care, medications, mental health, dental health, eye and hearing, and alternative wellness services than people without.

Help us. Sign the petition and share.