#LastStand is part of the Disabled Peoples’ Revolt, a grassroots collective of disabled activists living in legislated poverty in Canada. Many of us have been advocating as individuals and/or with NGOs for years and are seasoned organizers and activists, while others are new to the struggle.
Since 2019 Justin Trudeau’s Liberal party has promised to deliver a federal Canada Disability benefit comparable to historical federal Canadian programs including Old Age Security which was implemented in the 1960s to combat senior poverty, and the Child Benefit, implemented in the 1930s to alleviate child poverty.
When Budget 2024 was released, we were shocked to find that contrary to five years of promises and reassurances that the government wanted to get the benefit right, that we are left behind again.
Neither the cities, provinces nor federal government are helping – so we are taking things into our own hands.
We are ad hoc, organized, and are not beholden to any politician, party or ideology. To paraphrase the great Imani Barbarin, our politics is disabled people.
When we center disability justice, and the needs of the most marginalized disabled people (Black & Indigenous) it becomes clear that ability status as defined under racial capitalism is what determines the value of labor power produced by our bodies (source)
Canada is threatening disabled people’s lives by cutting their benefits severely, while backtracking on years of promises that Assisted Suicide wouldn’t be pushed onto them.
It will be easier to access MAID than it will be the Canada Disability Benefit of $200/month. How can people live on $200? We can’t, and that’s why we are taking a Last Stand to defend our lives against the current budget.