The time for basic income is now:
An overhaul to Canada’s social net is long overdue
“The time for BI has come. Governments around the world are implementing measures to address the financial fallout of the COVID-19 crisis, which essentially amount to emergency basic income. In fact, Spain has recently declared it will be instituting a basic income that will be a “permanent instrument” that “lasts forever.” Canada has missed the opportunity to be the first in the world to announce a permanent basic income, but we can settle for second in this case. In fact, we’re calling on the Canadian federal government to make Canada the first nation in North America to lead and declare that it is instituting a permanent basic income. There is no returning to the world we knew only a month ago. As Gwynne Dyer pointed out in a recent column, “The current emergency may be fostering the rise of ideas previously seen as too radical to contemplate, but no one is saying universal basic income, yet.” Well, Spain is, and Basic Income Hamilton is, and we think you should too.”
Read Jeffrey C. Martin, Lisa Alfano and John Mills article in The Hamilton Spectator
John Mills, Member of the Board of Directors at Hamilton Community Legal Clinic
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Principal + Senior Communications Counsel, Quorum Communications Inc.
Hamilton
Lisa Alfano, Professor at Mohawk College
Hamilton,
“…And it seems everyone is looking for financial help of some kind from the federal government in this time of COVID-19 crisis — workers, small businesses, charities, even big corporations. But one very large group of vulnerable Canadians has been pushed to the sidelines and in some cases completely ignored — those living in poverty and chained to the welfare traps, the homeless and some post-secondary students. These people are not eligible for the emergency rescue package. They have far fewer resources and opportunities than they should.….”
check Policy Options of Basic Income Canada Network to see how we can pay for it.
