Readout: Disability Advisory Committee Meeting – March 11, 2024

From: Canada Revenue Agency

The Disability Advisory Committee (DAC) co-chair Gillian Pranke began the March 11 virtual meeting, the first of 2024, by inviting Elder Conrad Saulis to open the discussion.

Elder Conrad spoke about the profound impact of disability amongst Indigenous communities and the importance of honouring the Indigenous culture and people.

Ms. Pranke thanked Elder Conrad for his presence and the teachings he brought forward. She then welcomed co-chair Sharon McCarry to provide her opening remarks.

Ms. McCarry began by welcoming everyone to the first formal meeting since September. She reiterated the importance of recognizing the historical and ongoing injustices that impact First Nations, Métis and Inuit Peoples. She expressed her gratitude to the committee for their dedication to making positive changes for the betterment of persons with disabilities.

Ms. Pranke then took a moment to announce the publication of the fourth annual DAC report. She extended her congratulations to the DAC members for their tremendous work resulting in the culmination of annual report. She shared that the CRA has reviewed the 26 recommendations and that work is underway on those that fall under the responsibility of the CRA.

Ms. Susan Wallace, from the Diversity and Sociocultural Statistics Department of Statistics Canada presented a summary of the results from the 2022 Canadian Survey on Disabilities. This, in part, identified that the rate of disability in Canada has increased by five percentage points since 2017. The presentation was followed by a discussion where the group had the opportunity to ask questions regarding potential gaps in the sampling data and the variances in disability rates between provinces.

CRA’s Research and Innovation Lab then shared its linkage rate study on persons with disabilities. This study draws on the latest Census data to analyze specific segments of the population with the aim of improving the take up of benefits.

Ms. McCarry and vice-chair Jonathan Lai then provided updates from the Accessibility and Navigation and the Disability Status and Professional Practice working groups. Ms. McCarry also provided an update on her meeting with the Minister from the previous week.

Ms. Pranke and Ms. McCarry thanked everyone for their contributions and their continued support and commitment to serving the needs of the community. Ms. Pranke then turned to Elder Conrad Saulis, who closed the meeting by discussing the importance of reflecting on different perspectives and ideas. He expressed that he is encouraged and will continue to support the journey to help policies and programs reach as many people as possible.