EASTER SEALS CANADA’S STATEMENT ON BUDGET 2025
It is a critical moment in Canada’s first budget in 18 months: this government will maintain social programs and not cut existing programming. Continued funding for the Canada Disability Benefit and the National Food Program is welcome, but as the fiscal environment improves, we will advocate for continued increases and enhancements to these programs.
We are also tracking the following milestones in Budget 2025:
- Housing Investment: This budget announced a continued investment in housing. We applaud the commitment to continuing to restore access and affordability. It is critical we move with speed and scale, offering solutions for the short term and long term. Execution matters.
- Accessibility Improvements: New Automatic Tax Filing and enhanced financial support for disability documentation – we want to see additional details on how this will work. We know the rollout and deployment of these programs requires collaboration from teams like ours and others nationwide to ensure persons with disabilities are front and centre.
- Youth Employment: 175,000 Canada Summer Jobs in 2026, supporting community programs nationwide – we will continue to advocate, in future budgets, for a heightened number of seats that support our camps and recreation programming Canada wide. The youth unemployment crisis is real. Gained experience in the job market makes our communities stronger.
- Inclusive Economy: Investments in the digital economy and procurement are welcome. Let’s ensure entrepreneurs living with disabilities are at the table.
Budget 2025 reflects a changing world, and Easter Seals Canada is committed to moving faster to support those who need us most.
