Background on the Promise

During his 2025 election campaign, Mark Carney promised to review and reform the application process for the Disability Tax Credit (DTC), emphasizing its role as a gateway to federal programs such as the Canada Disability Benefit (CDB), the Canada Child Benefit (CCB) for children with disabilities, the dental benefit, and others. The promise also included considering expansions to eligibility criteria for additional impairments to better support Canadians with disabilities.

Actions Taken by the Carney Government

Since taking office in late April 2025 following the federal election, the Carney government has focused primarily on economic measures like middle-class tax cuts, rescinding the digital services tax, and scrapping the consumer carbon tax. However, there has been no public announcement or initiative specifically addressing a review or reform of the DTC application process. The government has proceeded with the rollout of the Canada Disability Benefit, which uses DTC eligibility as a key criterion, with applications opening on June 20, 2025, and first payments scheduled for July 2025. This implementation builds on pre-existing legislation from the previous government, but no new reforms to the DTC itself have been proposed or enacted under Carney.

Legislation and Proposals Related to the Issue

No new legislation has been proposed or passed by the Carney government to reform the DTC application process or expand its eligibility criteria. The Canada Disability Benefit Act, which positions the DTC as a gateway to the benefit, was developed and passed prior to the 2025 election. While the government announced the application opening for the CDB in June 2025, this does not involve changes to the DTC. Advocacy groups have criticized the elimination of the dedicated cabinet position for people with disabilities, suggesting it may sideline reforms in this area. Reports from the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) in early 2025 noted some prior improvements, such as a new digital application form and eligibility adjustments, but these predate Carney's tenure and are not attributed to his administration.

Progress on Specific Promise Elements

The promise highlighted the DTC's growing importance as a gateway to programs like the CDB and CCB. While the CDB rollout under Carney's government reinforces this role, there is no evidence of a formal review of the application process. On expanding eligibility criteria to include additional impairments, no considerations, consultations, or proposals have been announced. Disability advocates have expressed concerns that without a dedicated minister, such reforms are at risk of being broken or delayed, especially amid reports of payment delays for the CDB in August 2025.

Challenges and Criticisms

Critics, including autism and disability advocacy groups, have pointed to the lack of a disabilities minister in Carney's cabinet as a signal that disability issues are not a priority. This has raised fears that promises like DTC reform may remain not yet started. Additionally, while the DTC amount for 2025 has been updated to up to $9,428 by the CRA, this adjustment appears routine and not linked to a broader reform effort under the current government.

Overall Status

This promise is not started.