by Karl Widerquist | May 29, 2014 | News
The early registration rate for the BIEN Congress in Montreal ends on May 31. After this time (i.e. beginning June 1), late registration takes effect and registration fees will increase. Organizers remind participants to register at https://biencanada.ca/congress/registration
The 15th International BIEN Congress will take place at McGill University on June 27-29, 2014 with a pre-congress day on June 26th as the 13th Annual North American Basic Income Guarantee Conference.
McGill Universtiy
by Karl Widerquist | Apr 27, 2014 | News
The Prince Edward Island (P.E.I.) Working Group for a Livable Income will host a Community Forum on the Basic Income Guarantee on Thursday, May 1, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the O’Leary Community Centre in Charlottetown, P.E.I. This meeting has been rescheduled; it has originally been planned for Thursday, April 24
Basic Income Guarantee (BIG) Community Forum
Thursday, May 1, 6:30 to 8:30
O’Leary Community Centre,18 Community Street, Charlottetown, P.E.I.
For more information see:
Darlene Shea, “Tonight’s guaranteed income community forum in O’Leary postponed.” Journal-Pioneer. April 24, 2014
Nigel Armstrong, “Workshops focus on basic income guarantee idea.” The Guardian. April 24, 2014.
John (Bud) Gallie and Lori MacKay, © Guardian photo by Nigel Armstrong
by Yannick Vanderborght | Apr 24, 2014 | News
A general election was held in Québec (Canada) on April 7th, 2014. The Parti Libéral du Québec (PLQ), under the lead of Philippe Couillard, won the elections, and now has 70 seats at the National Assembly – enough to form a majority government. On April 23rd, 2014, the new Premier, Philippe Couillard, officially unveiled his cabinet, with no less than 26 ministers.
Among them is François Blais, who has just been elected as a new MP for the PLQ (in the electoral district of Charlesbourg, in Quebec-city). Blais will be the Minister of Employment and Social Solidarity in the Couillard government.
François Blais -Le journal de la communauté universitaire
François Blais – formerly Dean of Faculty at Laval University, Québec – is a long-standing advocate of basic income, and a Life Member of BIEN. In 2001, he published an introductory book on basic income in French, which was translated into English in 2002: “Ending Poverty. A Basic Income for all Canadians” (Lorimer Publishing).
Basic income, however, was not part of the PLQ platform for this general election. It is doubtful that François Blais, as a Minister of Employment, will be able to put it on the agenda. On April 24, 2014, the daily Le Devoir wrote: “Philippe Couillard appointed François Blais as his Minister of Employment and Social Solidarity. Blais, formerly Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences at Laval University, is above all an advocate of a guaranteed minimum income. However, the Premier did not give a mandate to the new Minister to implement this ambitious reform”.
Further information:
Article in Le Devoir (in French)
CBC report (in English)
by Karl Widerquist | Apr 20, 2014 | News
Thursday, June 26, the day before the Basic Income Earth Network Congress in Montreal, there will be a North American Basic Income Guarantee (NABIG) Workshop.
Mural Pointe-Sainte-Charles, Le Collectif Au pied du mur -BICN
The goal of this workshop is to bring together activists, scholars, and anyone with an interest in basic income to talk about whether and how basic income can be advanced politically, and how to address media and public perceptions of basic income.
This conversation should include people interested in reducing poverty and inequality, or sharing resources more equitably, or empowering workers (both wage workers and people doing unpaid work, care work, etc.), or sharing the burdens of carbon taxation by distributing carbon dividends, or reforming taxes by means of resource taxation and citizen dividends.
Members of USBIG and others interested in the topic are encouraged to attend the workshop, whether or not they plan to attend the BIEN Congress that follows. Those wishing to attend only the workshop need not pay the full conference fee for the BIEN Congress.
For more information, see the BIEN Congress webpage on the workshop: https://biencanada.ca/congress/nabig-workshop or contact Michael.howard@umit.maine.edu.
by Karl Widerquist | Apr 10, 2014 | News
The PEI Working Group for a Livable Income believes that Prince Edward Island would be an excellent home for a Basic Income Guarantee pilot project. The three community workshops that they are planning will give people a chance to learn more about BIG, and offer their ideas about how it might work, and why they think it’s important.
Each workshop will start at 6:30 p.m. and run until 8:30 p.m. There is no cost involved, and refreshments will be offered. Here are the dates:
Tuesday, April 22 – École Saint-Augustin, 2244 Church Rd (Route 243), South Rustico
Wednesday, April 23 – Silver Threads Club, 78 Main Street, Souris
Thursday, April 24 – O’Leary Community Centre, 18 Community Street, O’Leary
For more information, go to the workshop website: https://www.cooperinstitute.ca/content/page/front_news/id/172
Call Cooper Institute, 894-4573
Email cooperinstitute@eastlink.ca
PEI Working Group for a Livable Income
