Recipients of the Canada Disability Benefit are speaking out after not receiving their scheduled payment on Thursday.
The new Canada Disability Benefit is meant to support people with disabilities who are working-age and low-income. Payments top out at $200 per month or $2,400 a year.
Rabia Khedr is the national director of the advocacy group Disability Without Poverty and the CEO of the non-profit DEEN Support Services. Khedr says the Canada Disability Benefit provides “a few extra dollars to meet basic needs.”
“Most people with disabilities live about $1,000, or 30 per cent, below the poverty line,” Khedr told CTV News from Mississauga, Ont. “It lets them buy some essential over-the-counter pain killers, maybe pay for their food, pay a backlog of bills and debt, pay their rent.”
While the first payments arrived as scheduled in July, multiple recipients say they saw nothing in their bank accounts when the second payment was supposed to be made on Thursday.
CTV News received several emails from Canadians frustrated about missing payments, including one from Victoria Staight from Wasaga Beach, Ont.
“I checked and its not there,” Staight told CTV News in a video call. “And I went, ‘OK no breakfast,’ as simple as that, no breakfast.”
Ottawa has not said when payments will come through.
“Due to a system issue some Canada Disability payments issued by direct deposit for the month of August 2025 will be delayed,” a recorded message from the Canada Disability Benefit call centre explained. “We apologize for the inconvenience.”
In a statement to CTV News, a Employment and Social Development Canada spokesperson said a majority of the payments have been completed.
“A limited number of client payments remain outstanding due to an isolated systems issue,” the spokesperson said. “Service Canada has addressed this issue, and is focused on ensuring timely payments for clients as soon as possible.”
While some payments were finally made later Friday afternoon, the issue has not been completely resolved.
“Excuse me, you started a program for people who are struggling,” Staight, who is living with complications from a car accident, said. “You don’t start a program and then drop the ball, thank you very much. You people are getting a paycheque.”
Prime Minister Mark Carney eliminated multiple cabinet positions in March, including the minister for diversity, inclusion and persons with disabilities. Advocates have criticized the move.
“The new government did not have an explicit portfolio dedicated to disability,” Khedr said. “This basically means we are lumped into a huge portfolio that the current minister of jobs and families is responsible for – so we are not a top priority.”
In an updated statement Friday evening, a Employment and Social Development Canada spokesperson pointed to a technical issue with the direct deposits.
“Service Canada has addressed the situation with urgency to ensure that the outstanding payments are issued to clients within the next few days,” the said. “We are working diligently with partners to secure the smooth implementation of this new benefit and prevent system issues from happening in the future.”
With files from CTV National News Senior Correspondent Adrian Ghobrial
