Bill C-217 Disabled Student Financial Assistance Act

Revised C-217 cartoon with an adult male college student at the registration desk
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C-217 An Act to Amend the Canada Student Financial Assistance Act and the Income Tax Act

Short Title:  Post-Secondary Education Financial Assistance for Persons with Disabilities Act

Bill Type:  Private Member’s Bill

Bill Sponsor:  Don Davies (Vancouver Kingsway)

Status: Outside the Order of Precedence — First Reading June 19, 2025. This Bill hasn't passed yet.

Estimated Read Time:  2 minutes

WHO GAINS POWER

  • The Minister responsible for the Canada Student Financial Assistance Act gains authority to pay tuition fees directly to post-secondary institutions on behalf of eligible Canadians with disabilities
  • The Governor in Council gains regulation-making power to set the conditions under which tuition payments can be made

WHO LOSES POWER

  • Designated educational institutions have no say in whether a qualifying student's tuition is paid by Government — the payment is mandatory if conditions are met
  • Government can set the payment conditions by Regulation under the Act instead of having those conditions written into this Bill

WHO GAINS MONEY

  • Canadians with disabilities who qualify under section 118.3 of the Income Tax Act — Government pays their tuition fees directly to their post-secondary institution
  • The tuition payment is deemed a grant — it does not need to be repaid
  • The grant is tax-exempt — it is excluded from taxable income under the Income Tax Act

WHO LOSES MONEY

  • The Federal Government — tuition costs for all qualifying Canadians with disabilities at designated post-secondary institutions
  • No cost estimate or cap is written into the Bill

THE CATCH

  • ⚠️ "Eligible" is not defined in the Bill itself — qualification is tied to section 118.3 of the Income Tax Act (the Disability Tax Credit), which has its own application and approval process. Not all Canadians with disabilities qualify
  • ⚠️ Payment is subject to prescribed conditions — Government can set those conditions by Regulation, but the Bill does not specify what they will be
  • ⚠️ No cost estimate or funding cap is written into the Bill — payment remains subject to prescribed conditions
  • ⚠️ "Designated educational institution" follows existing definitions — not all post-secondary programs or institutions qualify
  • ⚠️ The Bill adds no new transparency, audit or independent-review requirements specifically for these tuition payments. It amends an existing Act, so the Bill alone does not establish what oversight already applies.