CASE Brief for Pre-Budget Consultations for 2026 Federal Budget
CASE Brief for Pre-Budget Consultations in Advance of the 2026 Federal Budget
Before the release of the 2026 Federal Budget, submissions can be made to the Government of Canada’s Standing Committee on Finance (FINA). CASE is pleased to submit a brief with the following recommendations on priorities for the federal budget.
The theme for CASE’s brief is the need for long-term, systems-level approaches to disability employment inclusion to build engaged, productive, and sustainable workforces that are essential for a resilient Canadian economy.
Recommendations
Recommendation 1: That the government increase funding for supported employment services for persons experiencing disability that prioritizes competitive employment and entrepreneurship with success based on placement quality, sustainability, and fit rather than volume.
Recommendation 2: That the government provide stable, multi-year, and flexible funding for the delivery of consistent, ongoing supported employment services that support persons experiencing disability from job searches to career advancement, investing in continuity of support and improved outcomes.
Recommendation 3: That the government invest in programs and initiatives to strengthen employer engagement through education, support, and long-term relationship building for the integration of disability inclusive practices in workplace systems.
Recommendation 4: That the government enable integrated approaches to support for persons with disabilities and facilitate coordination across systems to address barriers such as health, housing, and transportation that are closely tied to employment outcomes.
Recommendation 5: That the government encourage and enable supported employment organizations, organizations that serve marginalized groups, and employers to better recognize and respond to the impacts of increased discrimination and employment barriers on job seekers and workers with disabilities and intersecting identities, including indigeneity, race, gender, sexual orientation, age, education, and economic status.
Challenges in Building an Engaged, Productive Canadian Workforce
In its 2026 Spring Economic Update, the federal government’s biggest priority is fuelling the domestic engine to “build a stronger, more independent, more resilient economy.” The government wants a “Canada that is not just for some, most of the time, but for all, at all times.” This year’s National AccessAbility Week theme is “Building a Strong, Accessible Canada.”
A productive and engaged workforce is essential to thriving organizations in a resilient economy. However, as Canada faces an unpredictable economic outlook, employers must contend with an aging workforce (LMIC, 2024), difficulty finding, engaging, and keeping skilled talent, and staff burnout (Robert Half, (2025 et 2026).
Many businesses are offering more perks to attract and retain skilled talent (Robert Half, 2026), but most are not aware of the importance of integrating the principles of accessibility and inclusive practices throughout their organization, as outlined in the Loi canadienne sur l'accessibilité and Accessibility Standards Canada’s Employment Standard. When workers are treated with dignity and their accommodation needs are met throughout the employment cycle, they secure and advance in employment to their benefit and that of their employers.
Disability already in most workplaces
One in five workers (21%) in the Canadian labour force experiences some form of disability (StatCan, 2024). Mobility and flexibility issues, pain, and mental health challenges—all non-apparent—are the most common disabilities (StatCan, 2024).
The labour force participation rate of individuals working post-retirement more than doubled from 6.3% in 1997 to 15% in 2023. With 2 in 5 seniors (40%) aged 65 and over in 2022 having disabilities, workplaces must adapt to an older workforce, which is to their advantage to fill gaps in skilled labour and ensure knowledge transmission (Statistics Canada, 2024b et 2026).
Many skilled job seekers experiencing disability face barriers to recruitment and career advancement. In 2024, the employment rate in Canada was 46.4% for persons with disabilities compared to 66.2% for people without disabilities (StatCan, 2024).
Stigma and lack of knowledge about disability and workplace inclusion
A 2025 study by the Canadian Association for Supported Employment (CASE) and Signal49 Research (formerly The Conference Board of Canada) found that nearly one in three organizations struggle to understand what qualifies as disability, what reasonable accommodation is, and how to create effective policies and procedures to address workplace accommodation and inclusion. Nearly one in five employers said a lack of knowledge hindered their efforts toward disability inclusion.
In a 2026 qualitative study by CASE and the Centre for Community-Based Research (CCBR), the President/CEO of ECO Canada noted that employers, driven by thin profit margins, are averse to risk. A director from Tourism HR Canada emphasized that the “biggest challenge will be the mindset from the employer, from the leaders” and that employer concerns around liability and workplace health and safety are often based on assumptions rather than evidence. Job seekers and workers interviewed for the study confirmed the prevalence of stigma around disability and assumptions about work they could or could not do.
Many employers have told CASE or our member organizations that they would like to provide an inclusive workplace culture but do not know where to start or who to access for assistance. Of the 1.1 million Canadian businesses, 98.2% are small businesses employing 5.8 million people and contributing 33.2% to GDP (ISEDC 2025). The majority (77%) have 1-9 employees and limited capacity for anything other than what they consider ‘regular operations.’
Reduced capacity in supported employment sector
Supported employment service providers offer employment supports for job seekers and workers experiencing disability and assist employers with building workplace inclusion.
Some participants in the 2026 study mentioned they did not know about supported employment, even after seeking information about employment services from government or community organizations. Participants who worked with supported employment service providers described significantly improved outcomes and recommended expanding funding and awareness of these services.
With limited resources and high performance demands, supported employment organizations may have too few human and financial resources to generate sufficient awareness of services and provide consistent, ongoing support to persons experiencing disability and employers. Ongoing support could ensure more focus on the integration of inclusion at a systems level throughout organizations, which would support all job seekers and workers.
Despite Efforts, Inclusion Elusive for Many
Many people understand that inclusive workplaces support and involve all workers and increase engagement and retention, which can improve business innovation, productivity, and resilience. So why is it still so difficult for persons experiencing disability to find work and advance in their careers? Why are so many employers still wondering what disability is, what accommodations are, and how to increase their disability confidence?
Growing numbers and complex needs
An increase in funding is needed throughout the supported employment sector to serve clients among the more than 740,000 talented job seekers in Canada with the potential to work in an inclusive labour market (StatCan, 2024). Demand for supported employment services has grown steadily over the years, outstripping capacity and resulting in extended waitlists across the country, particularly for people facing barriers who are furthest from the labour market.
Many employment organizations have had increases in service requests, perhaps due to increases in the prevalence of mental health-related and other disabilities (StatCan, 2023). In 2015, 1 in 66 youth 5-17 years were diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, and many are now of working age (Health Canada, 2018). More people are facing complex barriers to employment and may require individualized employment supports that the current system is not able to provide or sustain.
Current focus on short-term and volume
Supported employment initiatives are often limited by short-term funding and are compensated for volume of services rather than quality and long-term sustainability. Outcomes are measured, for instance, by number of jobs attained or number of clients served and leaving programs.
In many jurisdictions, supports for people with intellectual or developmental disabilities still favour congregated and segregated sheltered workshops that compensate workers at rates significantly below minimum wage. Alternately, support for competitive, community-based employment offers sustained economic independence and social inclusion in the community.
Many job seekers, particularly those requiring intensive or customized assistance, struggle to access the support they need to obtain, retain, and advance in employment. Employers who receive assistance with one job seeker may not have systems in place for continued inclusive hiring. Community organizations who reach out to others for employment or cultural assistance may be connected by threads rather than invested, reciprocal relationships.
Unstable sector employment leads to loss of knowledge
For employment service organizations, short-term funding programs lead to an inability to attract and retain staff. Charity Insights Canada Project research found that personnel turnover in the non-profit sector can result in increased workloads and loss of institutional knowledge and continuity. Exhausted by job insecurity and burnout, valuable leaders and staff are retiring or seeking greater compensation elsewhere, resulting in program and organizational disruptions.
Under-resourced organizations must then invest more time and funds in an ongoing cycle of recruitment, training, and transition. People consider non-profit work as a “job” rather than a “career,” impeding organizations’ ability to be as efficient and impactful as possible.
Patchwork rather than systems-level frameworks
The result of the above challenges is a patchwork of programs and services benefitting a small number of job seekers and employers in the short-term, rather than systems-level frameworks for long-term outcomes that serve more job seekers, workers, and employers now and in the future.
Long-Term, Systems-Level Approaches for Engaged, Sustainable Workforces
Increasing quality, sustainable employment outcomes
Supported employment service providers are driven by guiding principles that increase successful, sustainable outcomes and that could inform program measurement:
- Persons experiencing disability are socially and economically included in their community.
- Timely and appropriate employment support is provided.
- The job seeker has choice and control over employment support.
- Employer and job seeker needs are considered to ensure a good fit.
- Employees with and without disabilities receive the same rate of pay and benefits.
- Employers and persons experiencing disability mutually benefit from partnerships and mentoring.
- Long-term support provides employment stability and career enhancement.
- Continuous service evaluation and implementation results in quality improvements.
These criteria combined with sufficient skilled personnel and resources for ongoing work with job seekers and workers experiencing disability are necessary for an integrated, systems-level approach to service delivery.
Services should be available throughout the employment cycle from job search to career advancement, because the need for support may not end once a person is hired. Lack of ongoing support can prevent career advancement and lead to frustration, performance issues, or resignation.
Employer engagement through education, support, and relationship building
While integrating inclusion throughout an organization can generate substantial benefits for workers and employers, the investment can feel risky for small businesses. Assistance and resources for employers committed to integrating inclusive practices could help alleviate the perception of risk.
Ongoing, external support from local employment service providers familiar with the regional economy and workforce can significantly boost inclusion efforts of SMEs. CASE and our member organizations have found that combining evidence-based education (training/resources), support tailored to organizations and industries, and networking activities creates safe spaces to share inclusive practices and foster disability confidence.
When employers receive ongoing assistance from local employment service providers, over time they can build a welcoming workplace culture for all workers, including persons experiencing disability. A slow and steady approach often works best for busy employers and allows for reflective learning and continued improvements.
Ongoing support and relationship-building activities strengthen trust. In the CASE/CCBR study, the President/CEO of ECO Canada stated that maintaining employer trust is essential, because once employers disengage, “they’re hard to get back.”
Expanding and strengthening community systems
The challenges people face can be complex, and employment service providers must consider other barriers such as health, housing, and transportation as directly impacting employment outcomes. Service providers must have the flexibility to coordinate integrated, wrap-around approaches to employment across systems to address multiple, interconnected barriers.
The development of systems-level frameworks among community organizations and government services could ensure more timely and consistent responses to clients’ needs and more efficient use of organizations’ resources.
Similarly, persons experiencing disability with intersecting identities — such as indigeneity, race, gender, sexual orientation, and age — can face additional barriers, stigma, and discrimination during recruitment and at work. Learning to recognize and respond to discrimination and developing connections for reciprocal support would allow employment organizations, organizations serving marginalized groups, and employers to ensure all job seekers and workers have what they need to succeed.
Association canadienne de soutien à l’emploi
The Canadian Association for Supported Employment (CASE) is a national association that facilitates opportunities for community-based employment service providers, employers, industry groups, community partners, and interest holders to increase employment inclusion in Canada for persons experiencing disability.
All persons experiencing disability should have equal opportunity to secure, sustain, and advance in purposeful, fairly compensated employment.