The 2014 federal budget unveiled Tuesday proposes to support people with disabilities entering the workforce through new funding initiatives. These include $222 million for a new generation of Labour Market Agreements for Persons with Disabilities.
These agreements are designed to ensure federal funding supports programming that better helps Canadians with disabilities to obtain the skills they need to get jobs. Ottawa expects the transfers will be matched by the provinces.
The measure comes in response to findings from a January 2013 report from the Panel on Labour Market Opportunities. According to the report, there are roughly 800,000 working-age Canadians with disabilities who are currently unemployed but could enter the workforce if given the opportunity. As well, the panel found that 57% of the time the hiring of a person with disabilities does not require the employer to make special accommodations. Furthermore, the typically one-time cost to employers who did have to accommodate the workplace for a new hire with disabilities was $500.
In addition to funding the labour market agreements, Ottawa also proposes to fund programs run by the Canadian Association for Community Living, the Sinneave Family Foundation and Autism Speaks Canada to further facilitate persons with disabilities entering the workforce.
The government plans to invest $15 million in Ready, Willing & Able, a program run by the Canadian Association for Community Living, over a three-year time frame. The federal funds will help the association expand to 20 community-based locations across the country, according to budget documents, and will host 40 employer forums. This funding will support up to 1,200 new jobs for people with developmental disabilities, according to the budget.
Ottawa also announced plans to fund a vocational training program for individuals with autism spectrum disorders run by the Sinneave Family Foundation and Autism Speaks Canada. The government intends to provide the program with $11.4 million in support over a four-year time frame. The Sinneave Foundation estimates that the program will help about 1,200 youth with Autism Spectrum Disorders each year once the initiative is fully implemented.