Hugh Segal, a long-time champion for a guaranteed basic income for people struggling to rise above the poverty level
“Poverty … is actually about not having enough money. There’s a notion that, “Oh, there are many complex causes to poverty. We have to get at them and if we took every penny that the provinces and the federal government had and we spent them against all those problems, we couldn’t solve them. … But we can actually solve poverty by topping up the incomes of people who live beneath the poverty line so they can live a slightly better life.” – Hugh Segal, the late Canadian Senator who died this past August, 2023 and a leading champion for a guaranteed basic income to lift low-income people out of poverty
A Call-Out to All of Us from the Basic Income Canada Network
Posted November 1st, 2023 on Niagara At Large
A Brief Foreword by Niagara At Large reporter and publisher Doug Draper –
Earlier this fall, in the wake of growing homelessness and dependence of food banks – even among people who have jobs – Niagara Region’s council, much to its credit, pass a motion calling on the provincial and federal government to launch a basic income guarantee project to help lift people out of such dire straights.
Sadly (or should I say disgustingly), the current Ford government in Ontario, which pretends to be a party “working for the people,” gutted a basic income project launched by the former Liberal government of Kathleen Wynne shortly after it came into power in 2018.
It may very well be that Ford and company will not heed calls to bring such a project back, claiming its recent raising of the minimum wage, which seems designed to keep people in poverty, should be enough.
So a launch of such a program will have to come from Canada’s Liberal government, and in Niagara Liberal MPs like Vance Badawey representing Niagara Centre, and Chris Bittle, representing St. Catharines, should be pressed by their constituents to get on board.
Bittle, in particularly, was recently appointed by his Liberal government to assist in addressing the need for affordable housing. Hopefully he will agree that a guaranteed basic income will help people in their struggle to put and keep a roof of their head.
Now here, directly below, is the call-out for all of us to demand action on this from our elected representatives from the Basic Income Canada Network. –
This past October 17th, the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, was a fitting day for (Canada’s) Senate finance committee to hear from witnesses on Bill S-233, an Act to develop a national framework for a guaranteed livable basic income.
Only one session (in front of the Senate Committee) was organized.
The witnesses were representatives of the Parliamentary Budget Office (PBO), former Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne, economist Dr. Evelyn Forget and psychologist Dr. Jiaying Zhao. They were excellent.
We had hoped for more, however, that there would be several sessions in this study with witnesses from different parts of Canada and from different walks of life, including service providers trying to plug the growing holes that income insecurity has created, and, especially, pilot participants. …
In the committee, one of the questions raised was “is this the right time for this policy change?”. The witnesses answered resoundingly, yes!
This is where you come in!
Now is a good time …. it is always a good time ….. to connect with people who can make a difference: mayors and councillors; MLAs and MPPs; MPs and Senators.
Let them know that you support basic income.
Work as well with non-profits and service providers in other sectors like food security, health, education, and climate to help them understand how much it would mean to their goals if people had better, unconditional income security.
Build allies and don’t forget your own local media. Together, we can do this!
For more information about Bill S-233: https://wipeoutpoverty.us10.list-manage.com/track/click?u=a0a5cfca6dc80fcb5e6ca4111&id=0753415bd1&e=92908c078b (https://wipeoutpoverty.us10.list-manage.com/track/click?u=a0a5cfca6dc80fcb5e6ca4111&id=431588cf6f&e=92908c078b)
To read a column by the late Canadian Senator Hugh Segal, published in 2018 and shortly after Ontario Premier Doug Ford and his Conservative government killed a recently launched basic income project in the province, click on – https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/article-doug-ford-speaks-for-the-people-just-not-low-income-people/
About Basic Income Canada Network – Basic Income Canada Network (BICN) is a unique national organization dedicated to ensuring everyone can meet basic needs and live with dignity. …
Founded in 2008, BICN is a registered non-profit, non-partisan organization. Our board of directors come from all walks of life and a circle of advisors adds even more diversity of expertise and ideas. As an affiliate of the international Basic Income Earth Network, we are connected to networks of people around the world as well as across Canada.
To learn even more , visit the site of the Basic Income Canada Network by clicking on – Home – Basic Income Canada Network
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