This past week, Bill C-22, the “Act to reduce poverty and to support the financial security of persons with disabilities by establishing the Canada disability benefit”, moved quickly through final stages of approval. Then, late in the evening of June 22nd, while many high school students were celebrating the beginning of summer vacation, the disability sector coast to coast cheered for the moment we all had been waiting for: Bill C-22 received Royal Assent.It's easy to feel, like those high school students, that summer is a time to slow down, catch up, and relax. This year, however, Canada's disability sector will be amping up its efforts and working vigorously to advance the legislative foundation that has been set for the creation of the Canada Disability Benefit.As Senator Chantal Petitclerc said in the final week of recent sitting of the Senate, “Really, this is not the finish line. C-22 being a framework law, it is fair to say that it is rather now that the work begins.”Our Easter Seals community across Canada has advocated and worked towards this historic moment for many years. We know that Bill C-22's success to date – including instances of rare unanimous support in the House of Commons – are the result of years of determination and persistence by charities and not‑for‑profits, advocates, parliamentarians in the Senate and House of Commons, government staff, and leaders from the private sector who recognize the social and economic benefits of the Canada Disability Benefit. Minister Carla Qualtrough certainly was not given an easy task in executing this legislation, yet much to her credit, she has delivered.Now the onus is on all of us to ensure we get it right. Now the hard work begins in creating a benefit that improves the standard of living for Canadians with disabilities in the face of continued inflation, unpredictable supply chains, complex geopolitics, climate change, ecological disasters, accessibility challenges, and a nationwide housing and health care crisis in communities still recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic.Our world was very different when the seeds of the Canada Disability Benefit were sown and the commitment made to bringing it to fruition. Now comes the time and the added impetus for us all to work together in creating a national disability benefit that truly benefits the people who need it.Provincial-federal cooperation will be crucial to successful implementation. At Easter Seals Canada, we have long advocated for the benefit to be clawback‑free: free from dollars being taken from people receiving provincial disability benefits, free from dollars being taken by provincial worker compensation plans, free from dollars being taken by private insurers.After all, as we hear daily from our colleagues coast to coast, what is the point of providing people with disabilities a new benefit if third parties can just reduce it or take it away?Let's do better. Let's not allow provincial‑federal politics to destroy this opportunity to make a meaningful generational impact for each and every Canadian with a disability. We look forward to the provinces and territories coming together over the next year to support Canadians with disabilities by ensuring the prevention of any barriers to the implementation of the benefit. The outcome for Canadians with disabilities now depends largely on provincial policymakers and private sector companies, and their decisions on clawbacks will be judged by history.We know, too, that the dollar value of the benefit is also of great concern to the more than 6.2 million Canadians living with a disability. Let's fund a benefit that makes a meaningful impact on the ability of those Canadians to afford food, medical supplies, and secure, safe, and accessible housing.Let's remember during the regulatory phase that the need for these essentials of life continue beyond age 65 and not allow seniors with disabilities to be legislated into poverty by an age cap on the benefit.And let's fund a benefit that allows more Canadians with a disability to participate in community, social, and recreational activities that current incomes may not permit. Quality of life is about more than mere survival.This Canada Disability Benefit more than a symbol of hope: it is a means of survival in times of chronic crisis. As the cost of food, housing, and medical supplies soars, we need a tax-free and barrier-free cash benefit for every eligible Canadian with a disability now more than ever. Getting it right – the right amount and the right means and speed of delivery – will make our country stronger.This is Canada's moment – a moment through the regulatory design of a life-changing generational benefit – to show the world that people with disabilities are included, supported, and valued.We've made a strong start. Let's keep going.Dave Starrett has been at the helm of Easter Seals Canada as President and CEO since 2014. During this time, Dave has been focused on building on Easter Seals track record of service to community over the past 100 years, and in collaboration with its national partners, the organization is positioned to respond to the evolving needs and aspirations of Canadians living with disabilities as Easter Seals heads into its next 100.