By: Gabriella Rabaa
While Canadians enjoy autumn leaves and pumpkin treats, federal and provincial governments have been preparing for another season: Budget season.
As the federal government prepares to announce its Budget 2025/2026 in early November, and the Government of Ontario is expected to release its 2025 Fall Economic Statement shortly thereafter, CNIB has been hard at work advocating to elected officials about the need for investments in programs and supports to close the disability employment gap.
For years, CNIB has heard from our community that employment barriers are some of the most persistent barriers they face. As the Government of Canada and provincial governments grapple with economic uncertainty and long-standing productivity concerns, strengthening employment for persons with disabilities is a critical solution to establishing more robust and resilient local workforces while supporting communities that are disproportionately impacted by economic uncertainty, including those who are blind, Deafblind, or have low vision.
We see firsthand the life-changing impacts of employment through CNIB's Come to Work program, which offers tailored supports and employer connections for job seekers with blindness and sight loss. In Ontario, CNIB and Come to Work talent pool members have been meeting with elected provincial representatives to highlight the importance of specialized, community-driven employment programs, like Come to Work, for communities across the province.
We are also engaging at the federal level to call for Canada's Budget 2025 to include greater investments in disability employment initiatives, like the Opportunities Fund and the Employment Strategy for Canadians with Disabilities, which the federal government released in 2024.
You can support our efforts by reaching out to your elected representatives and sharing the importance of employment opportunities for people with disabilities in your community. Or, to learn more about CNIB's employment advocacy efforts and how you can get involved, visit cnib.ca or email the Government Relations team at advocacy@cnib.ca.