Basic Income
A Basic Income Guarantee (BIG), also known as a Guaranteed Annual Income, is an unconditional cash transfer from government to individuals or families to provide a minimum annual income. The Basic Income Canada Network asserts that a BIG “ensures everyone has an income sufficient to meet basic needs and live with dignity, regardless of work status.”
It is the position of the Guelph & Wellington Poverty Elimination Collaborative that poverty is an urgent human rights and social justice issue for local, provincial and federal governments. A Basic Income Guarantee (BIG) is required as part of a coherent strategy to effectively eliminate poverty.
Interested in learning more or showing your support for a basic income?
Print your own postcard and mail it to your MP for free!
Reach out to your MP and let them know that you support basic income for all Canadian families!
[Name of Your MP]
House of Commons *
Ottawa, Ontario,
Canada
K1A 0A6
How can a basic income make a difference?
Canadians need a long-term national strategy that provides a basic income to all individuals. Multiple pilot programs across Canada and around the world have been monumentally successful in proving that basic income works.
Basic income won’t fix everything; no one is claiming it will. But evidence from around the world has shown a pattern of positive benefits for individuals and families including:
- Eating better
- Improved health & access to education
- Greater options for paid work as employees or entrepreneurs
- More time & money to devote to family care, community work & creative pursuits
For communities and society as a whole, positive benefits include:
- Decreased violence
- Increased empowerment for women & other marginalized communities
- Boost to local economies & small businesses, which benefits the overall economy
Frequently Asked Questions
How would basic income work?
There are two major models:
A guarantee model, which takes other income into account at the outset, providing an income ‘guarantee’ as it is needed. In this model, when your income is very low you get the greatest amount and as your other income grows, the amount reduces gradually. Those who have sufficient income from other sources don’t get a payment.
A universal model, which provides the same benefit amount to every individual regardless of their other income. Often in this model, for those who don’t need the basic income because they have higher sources of income, this additional income is taxed back to make up for the payment.
Who would pay for basic income?
The Poverty Elimination Collaborative agrees with UBI works’ stance on how payment would work:
“We can fund a basic income without taxing the vast majority of Canadians, while encouraging economic growth. Although there are many ways to fund a basic income, we propose to pay for it with contributions from our financial sector, fewer tax breaks for large companies, and fewer subsidies for the wealthiest.”
From the UBI works website: https://www.ubiworks.ca/howtopay
What basic income model does the Poverty Elimination Collaborative Support?
The Poverty Elimination Collaborative supports the universal basic income model. We believe that with a universal basic income, community members who may be living in poverty but not meet specific standards would still receive the supports that they need. As a root cause solution to poverty, a universal basic income would aid all Canadians in removing barriers to access healthcare, housing, and education. A basic income will improve the overall quality of life here in Canada.
Learn More About Basic Income
There are so many great basic income organizations across the country! Here a link to a few key organizers in the movement for basic income:
- https://www.basicincomeyouth.ca/resources
- http://revenudebase.quebec/en/ressources/
- https://www.ubiworks.ca/research
- https://www.obin.ca/resources
Senator Kim Pate has put together a comprehensive document that details the history and study of basic income in Canada. Take a read of Toward a Guaranteed Livable Income: Annotated Bibliography.