Annapolis Community Health Board Supports Basic Income
There is a growing interest among the Nova Scotia Community Health Boards in the pivotal role of a Basic Income in their fight against poverty and their promotion of community health and wellbeing. The Annapolis Community Health Board has expressed this recognition of a Basic Income in their letter to the Trudeau government, asking for an implementation of a Basic Income. Join the ACHB and many others in their campaigns for a Basic Income by sending your personal, or community letter of support to the Federal government or to your local Member of Parliament.
Members of the Annapolis Community Health Board
Dear Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister Hajdu, and Minister Morneau,
The Annapolis Community Health Board (ACHB) consists of dedicated volunteer members who promote health and wellness for all community members within Annapolis County. The ACHB would like to lend their support by advocating for a National Basic Income Guarantee in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Covid-19 pandemic served as a spotlight to highlight those members within our communities that were only one paycheque away from hunger and homelessness. The Federal and Provincial governments recognized the urgent need for assistance and implemented emergency support programs to those vulnerable populations. Social workers and other Health Profession Associations have long been advocating for a Basic Income Guarantee. The adoption of a Guaranteed Basic Income would help end discrimination against our poorest and most vulnerable citizens.
Poverty is seen as the largest social determinant of health, and the daily toll that poverty has on the health and wellbeing of our Communities. Income is a key health determinant and a Basic Income could affect health through its effects on other determinants such as employment. We know that most people who live in poverty are employed but do not make enough to bring them up to the poverty line. A Basic Income for people living in poverty would allow them to make better choices about their lives, jobs and health care. It has been stated many times that the Government would save money over time within the healthcare, education, and justice systems.
The ACHB would like to thank all levels of government and political parties for recognizing the financial hardships that COVID-19 has brought to our families, communities, businesses and vulnerable populations. The Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) proved vital for many Canadians who were already living on, or near the brink of poverty. It is the hope of the ACHB that the government works toward creating a Basic Income by restructuring the CERB as a long-term solution to poverty.
The Annapolis Community Health Board supports the adoption of a Guaranteed Basic Income and we stand with of our fellow Community Health Boards, the Canadian Council of Young Feminists, Senator McPhedran’s Youth Advisory, the Basic Income Canada Youth Network, the Anglican and Lutheran Bishops, Canadian Senators that have called upon the Federal, Provincial, and Territorial Governments to expand the entitlements available to Canadians in need of a Basic Income.
Sincerely,
The Annapolis Community Health Board
check Policy Options of Basic Income Canada Network to see how we can pay for it.