CANADA: Basic income at the World Social Forum in Montréal

CANADA: Basic income at the World Social Forum in Montréal

For the Forum’s press release, click here.

Revenu de base Québec (RBQ) and the Mouvement Français pour un Revenu de Base (MFRB) have teamed up to organize a series of initiatives spanning this years World Social Forum, to be held from August 9th – 14th in Montreal.

Various activities will be organized to help people learn, create and exchange views on a number of issues relating to basic income. Hoping to advance the idea during one of the largest global gatherings of civil society.

Discover the program (in French here):

Créathon

In the style of a “hackathon” this creative marathon will be held over two and a half days and bringing together creators from different backgrounds: art, activism, technology, etc., who share an interest in basic income.

Wednesday, August 10th: 13h-18h

Thursday, August 11th: 9h-18h

Friday, August 12th: 9h-17h

Location: UQAM – Pavillon Hubert-Aquin, rooms A-1824 and A-1825

Ğeconomicus game

Ğeconomicus is an economic simulation game to discover the influence of money creation on trade. Players will buy and sell economic values in order to create new ones. There will be two sessions.

Wednesday, August 10th: 13h-15h

Friday, August 12th: 13h-15h

Location: UQAM – Pavillon Hubert-Aquin, Room A-1825

Convergence Assembly: “Basic income: From realistic utopia to public policy”

The goal of this convergence meeting is to bring together activists from all backgrounds to reflect on methods and actions to be taken at all different levels when it comes to turning the ideas of a realistic utopia into public policy. The scope extends from municipal politics to international politics, through experiments, and creating synergies between the various actors of civil society.

Wednesday, August 10th: 16h-18h

UQAM – Room A 1824 (Pavillon Hubert-Aquin)

Convergence Assembly: “Income, a non-medical remedy?”

An assembly of healthcare workers, people active in helping the poor, activists of basic income and anyone interested in the link between income and health, in order to find common ground and ways to work together.

Thursday, August 11th: 16h-18h

UQAM – Room A 1824 (Pavillon Hubert-Aquin)

 

Debate: “The universal allowance and the maximum wealth”

Can a basic income be implemented without its corollary, maximum wealth? With the explosion of inequality and tax competition between states that threaten social achievements, market regulation through a “floor” and “ceiling” of income and individual capital seems like a promising idea in the direction of greater social and economic justice.

Thursday, August 11th: 13h-15h

UQÀM – (Pavillon Hubert-Aquin, room A-1825)

 

Grand Conference “Basic income: social innovation for the 21st century”

Friday, August 12th: 18h- 7:30 p.m.

Concordia University (Hall Building, room H-110)

For the Grand Conference, we will welcome the participation of stakeholders from various backgrounds who will paint a picture of the situation of basic income around the world:

Karl Widerquist

Associate professor at SFS-Qatar Georgetown University (Washington DC). He holds a PhD in Economics from the City University of New York and a doctorate in political theory from Oxford University. He participated in six books. Many relate to basic income, including his latest: Independence, Propertylessness, and Basic Income: A Theory of Freedom as the Power to Say No (Palgrave Macmillan, 2013). He is a founder and editor of the journal Basic Income Studies. His articles have also appeared in several magazines including: Political Studies; The Eastern Economic Journal; Politics and Society; and Politics, Philosophy and Economics. He is co-chair of Basic Income Earth Network (BIEN), the leading global network of research and action on the basis of income.

Marcus Brancaglione

He describes himself as a “libertarian activist of basic income and direct democracy.” He is the president of ReCivitas, coordinating a basic income guarantee project in the city of Quatinga Velho, in the state of Sao Paulo, Brazil. He is the creator of the digital platform for direct democracy Governe-se.com and alternative IP site RobinRight.org. He has published articles and books and is regularly invited to give lectures on these subjects.

Rutger Bregman

Historian and opinion shaper, he is the author of several books, he is best known as one of the editors of the permanent media platform online De Correspondent, created in 2013, when his book De geschiedenis van de vooruitgang was named by the Dutch to be the brightest non-fiction book of the year. In 2015, he co-wrote with Jesse Frederik the philosophical essay Waarom vuilnismannen meer dan verdien Bankiers. The English translation of his latest book, Utopia for Realists, gave him a far reaching international reputation.

Nicole Teke

Coordinator of Public Relations for MFRB and secretary of the European network UBIE, she will also participate in the Main Conference as the host and a speaker to present the progress of basic income in Europe.

 

Pre-registration to the activities on basis income come from all continents, it will be a truly global forum on the subject.

More information: https://site-845609-9101-5923.strikingly.com/

Contacts:

RBQ: gosselin.luc@gmail.com

MFRB: nicole.teke@revenudebase.info

Journalist Eric Walberg writes two articles about Basic Income

Eric Walberg is a Canadian journalist who specializes in the Middle East, Central Asia and Russia, and has been writing on East-West relations since the 1980s.

Last May, he published two articles related to basic income, which are available on his website:

1. “Basic Income: Helicopter money“* (May 26)

This article makes an argument for a guaranteed annual income (GAI) in Canada as a way of abolishing poverty. Referencing Evelyn Forget, he suggests a GAI of $18,000: if a Canadian has no other money, the state will issue them a GAI of $18,000 in full; however, the amout of the supplement would taper off with additional earned income, with a “break even” point around $30,000.

Basic Income – International experience (Brazil, Namibia, Canada, India)” (May 31)

This article reviews the results of basic income trials in Canada (1974-9), Namibia (2008), and India (2011) (and, briefly, Brazil’s cash-transfer program, Bolsa Familia) — noting, for instance, that the trials provide strong counter-evidence to the common concern that, with a basic income, people will stop working or spend their money unwisely.


* While Walberg’s argument for GAI is well worth reading, it’s important to point out that the title of the article is misleading, as is a sentence in the first paragraph.

Two points of clarification:

• The term ‘basic income’ usually refers to unconditional or universal basic income (UBI), which is not the same as GAI. A UBI is not means-tested; for example, the $18,000 subsidy would go to all Canadians, regardless of other income, if it were a UBI.

When Walberg cites a cost of $12 billion, this is the cost of “topping up” the incomes of Canadians to a level high enough to get the unemployed and low-earners out of poverty — not the cost of providing every Canadian with $18,000 per annum.

• Neither ‘basic income’ nor ‘guaranteed annual income’ should be used synonymously with ‘helicopter money’. Helicopter money — the printing of new money to be distributed directly to individuals or households — is one possible way to finance a basic income. It has been supported recently by American investor Bill Gross and the European group Quantitative Easing for the People, among others. However, many supporters of a basic income (of GAI) do not favor the printing of new money; more commonly, in fact, their proposals rest on the redistribution of existing income.

Ontario moving toward basic income pilot

Ontario moving toward basic income pilot

The Government of Ontario is moving to undertake a basic income pilot project. In recent weeks it has been receiving expert information and advice, for example from Jurgen De Wispelaere (formerly on the Board of Basic Income Canada Network and now a member of its new Advisory Council). On May 26th De Wispelaere presented to the government’s Deputy Ministers Social Policy Committee.

Two of the most knowledgeable experts concerning the Manitoba Mincome experiment of the 1970s are its former executive director, Dr. Ron Hikel, and University of Manitoba economist and researcher Dr. Evelyn Forget. At the recent North American Basic Income Congress in Winnipeg, Dr. Hikel spoke about Mincome and lessons learned that could be applied to the Ontario pilot. I also recommend watching Dr. Forget’s appearance on June 13th on Steve Paikin’s program, The Agenda: the 17 minute video reflects Evelyn’s sweeping knowledge of the history and results of Mincome.

Another encouraging sign of the Ontario government’s seriousness behind giving basic income a try was its appointment last month of the Hon. Hugh Segal as the pilot’s special advisor.  A trailblazer for basic income in Canada over the past 40 years, Mr. Segal will now “deliver a discussion paper to the province by the fall to help inform the design and implementation of the pilot….The discussion paper will include advice about potential criteria for selecting target populations and/or locations, delivery models and advice about how the province could evaluate the results of the basic income pilot” (source).

Ontario’s Premier, the Hon. Kathleen Wynne, has publicly recognized that Ontario needs to investigate basic income as an alternative to welfare. Among welfare’s many problems: its profound stigmatization of “clients” of the system. And on that, I recommend David Calnitsky’s fine academic paper exploring the non-stigmatizing effects of Manitoba Mincome.

by Rob Rainer
Basic Income Advocate and Member, Advisory Council of Basic Income Canada Network

CANADA: Waterloo Regional Council endorses basic income

CANADA: Waterloo Regional Council endorses basic income

On June 22, 2016, the Waterloo Regional Council passed a resolution endorsing basic income.

More specifically, the resolution encourages the governments of Ontario and Canada “to research, develop, implement and evaluate a Basic Income Guarantee for all citizens,” and expresses the municipality’s support in these initiatives.

The Waterloo Regional Council also declared that it would forward the resolution to the Association of Municipalities of Ontario and Ontario Municipal Social Services Association, to encourage them to consult the municipality in the “development and evaluation of the pilot project to be implemented in Ontario.” The council hopes that Waterloo will be considered as a test site for the pilot.  

As the resolution describes, the Waterloo Region has been plagued by food insecurity due to low income. A basic income guarantee “would reduce income insufficiency, insecurity, and inequality and ensure everyone an income sufficient to meet basic needs and live in dignity regardless of work status.”

The successful motion originated with the Kingston City Council, which, on December 15, 2015, became Canada’s first municipality to endorse basic income. At this time, the Kingston City Council forwarded their motion to support basic income to all other municipalities in the province of Ontario.

As of the time of this writing, Waterloo is the largest municipality in Ontario to support a basic income guarantee, according to a report by Roderick Benns for Leaders and Legacies (also posted to the Basic Income Canada Network blog).

References:

Keely Phillips, “Region of Waterloo Endorses Basic Income,” Basic Income Waterloo Region, June 23, 2016.

Roderick Benns, “Waterloo Region becomes largest municipality in Ontario to support basic income resolution,” Leaders and Legacies, June 30, 2016.

Background:

Joe Timothy, “Kingston is first municipality to endorse basic income,” Basic Income News, December 24, 2015.

Joe Timothy, “Ontario is Ready to Test a Basic Income,” Basic Income News, April 1, 2016.

André Coelho, “Ontario reaches further into basic income implementation,” Basic Income News, June 26, 2016.


Photo: Uptown Waterloo CC Andre Recnik

Thanks to my supporters on Patreon. (Click the link to learn how to support my work for Basic Income News.)

MONTREAL, CANADA: Basic Income Creation Marathon, Aug 10-12

MONTREAL, CANADA: Basic Income Creation Marathon, Aug 10-12

Revenu de base Québec (RBQ) and Mouvement Français pour un Revenu de Base (MFRB) have developed a program on basic income that will take place as part of the 2016 World Social Forum, held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada from August 9-14. World Social Forum events often draw tens of thousands of participants.  

This basic income Creation Marathon will span 2 ½ days (from Wednesday, August 10 to Friday, August 12) and take place at the University of Quebec.

Referred to as a “creathon” by its organizers, the program has been inspired by the Bay Area’s two “Basic Income Create-A-Thons,” held in San Francisco and Los Angeles in November and April (respectively), and the “Basic Income Hack in Finland last March.

Like these other recent events, the Creation Marathon will bring together artists, activists, programmers, and other creative individuals to produce ideas and materials for raising awareness of and support for basic income.

The event will be multilingual (English, French, Spanish), though the lingua franca will be English.

Registration for the World Social Forum is required to attend.

More information on the creathon (in both English and French) is available at Eventbrite here.


Photo of Université du Québec à Montréal CC Jeangagnon

Thanks to Asha Pond for reviewing a draft this write-up.

Thanks to my supporters on Patreon. (To see how you too can support my work for Basic Income News, click the link.)