Hon. Andrew Cardozo: My question is for the Government Representative and regards the Canada Disability Benefit. First, however, let me add to the comments from yesterday and thank you, sir, for your dedication and service to this place — ensuring the efficiency of the Senate — and hence your service to Canada.

You will know that the process for applying for the Canada Disability Benefit is expensive and requires a form from a medical practitioner, and the government set aside funding for access for applicants. However, the process for accessing the money to file the forms is not functioning while the benefit is supposed to start flowing as early as next month. Can you impress upon the government the urgency of the matter of the applications for individual Canadians?

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): The answer is yes. The government — and the Prime Minister — has been very clear that it is focused on ways of delivering programs as efficiently as possible. As colleagues would know, the Prime Minister has given all ministers the task of identifying how their specific ministries can contribute to the government’s priorities. That includes ensuring that the dollars for operations are spent effectively and efficiently. I will certainly bring this up with the minister at the earliest convenience.

Senator Cardozo: Thank you, Senator Gold. If this benefit is not fully functional for all applicants by July — it seems it may not be — could you ask the government to provide the payments retroactively to July for those recipients who are not able to access the system in the following months?

Senator Gold: I will certainly add that to what I will bring to the minister’s attention.