Basic Income in Canada
The Runner
The debate over a basic income has come up most recently due to the economic impacts of the pandemic, leaving many wondering if the idea of establishing a basic income in Canada could be the answer to some widespread problems.
Basic income is defined as a minimum amount of money an individual can live on, and the idea of implementing it in Canada has been in the works for a long time.
Read moreBasic Income Could Add $80 Billion A Year To Canada’s Economy, Create Up To 600,000 Jobs: Report
Huffington Post
A Canada-wide basic income could increase the size of the economy by tens of billions of dollars a year and create hundreds of thousands of new jobs, a new research paper says.
In a report issued Wednesday, the Canadian Centre for Economic Analysis (CANCEA) looked at two potential models of a basic income, and found that both of them would raise about 2.3 million families above the federal poverty line.
Both models studied would result in larger economies and more jobs in the long run, though how much larger, and how many more jobs, depends on how generous the program is, and whether or not it’s funded by debt spending, the study found.
Read moreFederal NDP leader supports P.E.I. basic income pilot
The Guardian
Federal New Democratic Party leader Jagmeet Singh is the first federal party leader to support calls for implementing a basic income guarantee pilot program in P.E.I.
In an interview with The Guardian on Monday, Singh said his party campaigned on implementing a national basic income pilot project and said he would support such a pilot on P.E.I.
Singh’s statements on the subject followed a report by all-party special standing committee on poverty, which called for implementing a full basic income guarantee (BIG) on P.E.I.
"We campaigned on a pilot project, so we absolutely support a pilot project," Singh said. "P.E.I.'s legislature put forward that as an idea, and they asked for federal funding to support this. The federal government has been unresponsive."
Read moreFor 3rd time in 18 months, P.E.I. government asks Ottawa to fund basic income pilot
CBC News
P.E.I. Minister of Social Development and Housing Ernie Hudson is preparing another letter — his third in the past 18 months — asking the federal government to contribute funding for a basic income pilot program here.
This latest request comes on the heels of a report from the provincial legislature recommending the province ask Ottawa to contribute unspecified funding to support a $270-million-a-year program to provide a guaranteed annual income of $18,260 to more than 50,000 Islanders.
The report, authored by MLAs from all three parties that have members in the legislature, suggests the program could function as a national pilot.
But so far, Hudson's letters haven't prompted any written response from the ministerial level — just a note from a federal staffer following the second letter saying Hudson's message had been received.
Read moreCERB LEAVES PEOPLE BEHIND. IT'S TIME FOR BASIC INCOME - WHY ARE WE WAITING?
Senator Kim Pate addressed the Senate during Second Reading debate on Appropriation Bill No. 5 - 2020-21.
She addresses the fact that yet again, this Bill leaves Canada's most vulnerable behind after being left out of CERB.
She makes it clear that a basic income is the obvious remedy to the problem.
Holiday food drives: Tossing a can of beans into a donation bin is hardly enough
The Conversation
The price of food is expected to climb dramatically in 2021 at a time when many Canadians can barely afford to feed their families, following the economic devastation of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Yet to kick off the “season of giving,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau posted a pre-Thanksgiving video to Twitter asking Canadians to pick up “an extra item or two for the local food bank and help a family in need.”
Trudeau collected non-perishables at a Metro supermarket, emptied his purchases into a donation bin and assured us that buying food from the grocery retail oligopoly to support local food banks is the Canadian way.
Read moreDismissal of basic income class action lawsuit to be appealed
A decision made last week by a Superior Court of Justice judge to dismiss the Ontario basic income class action lawsuit will be appealed.
The lawsuit was initiated by four Lindsay residents — Dana Bowman, Grace Marie Doyle Hillion, Susan Lindsay, and Tracey Mechefske.
They argued through their lawyers that the early termination of the Ontario Basic Income Pilot’s payments amounted to “a breach of contract, a breach of undertaking, negligence…and a breach of section 7 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms — and that as a result they have suffered damages.
The Advocate has learned that the Toronto law firm that represents them, Cavalluzzo LLP Barristers & Solicitors, will appeal, after the firm discussed their options with the four plaintiffs.
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