Leo Toronto Puts Parliament on the 'CDB Diet'

The federal budget has allocated an additional $115.7 million to the Canadian Disability Benefit (CDB), marking the first budget expansion tied directly to the benefit.

In a year defined by inflation and fiscal restraint, securing increased government spending was never guaranteed. But Leo knew this issue couldn’t be ignored.

“The Canada Disability Benefit was created to ensure that every Canadian who relies on disability benefits should not have to rely on a food bank to survive. The $200 benefit per month simply isn’t enough,” said Neil Hetherington, CEO of Daily Bread Food Bank. “That’s why we wanted to launch a bold, disruptive awareness campaign to highlight this gap and call for a stronger benefit that can truly reduce food insecurity and move people living with disabilities from poverty to a situation of hope.”

Through Leo Toronto and Leo Design’s campaign, in partnership with Daily Bread (Toronto-based charity that works to eliminate food insecurity and end poverty) they exposed the harsh reality of what the CDB currently provides, just $6.67 a day. By partnering with fitness, food, and lifestyle influencers, launched The CDB Diet, a faux wellness trend that revealed the impossibility of living on such a limited amount. The campaign ignited national outrage, sparking conversations that reached the halls of government.

This budget increase represents progress:

• A one-time $150 payment to help cover the costs of applying for the Disability Tax Credit (DTC)—a requirement to access the benefit.
• Assurance that the CDB will not be counted as taxable income, allowing recipients to keep more of what they’re entitled to.

Developed in collaboration with Leo Design and Leo Toronto, the campaign was supported by a fake CDB brand, which had its own social presence, OOH advertising, and website. This drove to FundTheBenefit.ca/cdb-diet, where visitors could sign a petition calling for the Canada Disability Benefit to be increased. The campaign’s key influencers included those focused health, fitness, and lived-experience, such as Reese Ketler, Hope Fitness and KailaWenn.

But to drive meaningful policy change, awareness wasn’t enough, Leo needed to reach Parliament itself. So Leo took the message directly to MPs with targeted OOH outside Parliament Hill, calling on them to vote in favour of raising the benefit. Leo also sent them boxes of the food you could afford on $6.67 a day, the exact amount the CDB provides. The campaign sparked conversation on the floor of Parliament, ultimately contributing to the introduction of measures to reduce barriers to accessing the CDB and confirmation to exempt CDB from clawbacks.

“To make real change, we knew a standard awareness campaign or asking people to sign yet another petition wouldn’t cut it,” said Kohl Forsberg, executive creative director at Leo. “Canadians are inundated with issues every day, so we had to meet them where they already were and capture their attention in a way that felt immediate and undeniable. In a year crowded with competing national priorities, seeing the government take meaningful action is extraordinary. It shows that when Canadians speak up, change is possible.”

In government, budgets reflect priorities, and the CDB is one of them. Leo Toronto with Leo Design helped shift national spending priorities toward Canadians with disabilities–a meaningful step forward that will impact lives for years to come.