Robert Ghiz - from CBC News
Robert Ghiz, the Premier of Prince Edward Island (PEI), might—or might not—be interested in a BIG pilot project in the province. He announced in the provincial legislature on March 27 that he is interested in having a pilot project on “the Guaranteed Livable Income” (GLI) in PEI, according to reports from both the Charlottetown Guardian and CBC News. He said he will not move toward formal preparation right now, but he is currently discussing how it would work. He hopes that after national elections this fall, the new government will be interested in a pilot project, possibly in PEI.
GLI is a fairly common word for BIG in Canada, and Ghiz made his remarks in the context of two studies about BIG, but it is not certain whether Ghiz has a genuine BIG in mind for the possible pilot. According to the Charlottetown Guardian, Ghiz clarified that a GLI would not mean everyone would get a salary from government. “If you’re still capable of working, you’re not going to qualify for a guaranteed livable income if there’s a job available to you, it’s for those people in our society that need help.” That statement conflicts with BIG in either the form of a negative income tax or an unconditional basic income. So, it is unclear at this point what Premier Ghiz means by GLI.
For more on this issue see the following articles:
Teresa Wright, “Guaranteed livable income a possibility for P.E.I., premier says,” The Guardian (Charlottetown, PEI, Canada), April 03, 2014.
CBC News “Guaranteed livable income plan possible, Ghiz confirms: Premier would like to see P.E.I. as centre of pilot project,” CBC News, Apr 04, 2014.
