by Andre Coelho | Jun 26, 2016 | News
Hugh Segal (credit to: Basic Income Canada Network)
Ontario’s political leadership aims at economic growth and job creation. That is particularly clear in the most recent News Release, announcing that the provincial government has appointed Special Advisor Hugh Segal to “help inform the design and implementation of the pilot”. Mr. Segal’s involvement will be of a technical nature, such as giving advice on potential criteria for selecting subjects, locations and evaluation of results.
Conservative former Senator Hugh Segal has long been a basic income supporter, having extensively written about and been cited on the subject (a couple of examples listed below).
Ontario is also investing in education, as a part of a four-part major economic plan for the region. Other priorities are related to housing, in an effort to “help grow Canada’s economy in a clean and sustainable way”. Ontario’s leaders reinforce the need to help “more people get and create the jobs of the future”, although the relation between that objective and the basic income implementation potential effects is not clear yet.
More information at:
Ministry of Housing, “Social infrastructure spending strengthens communities and grows the economy in Ontario”, Ontario Newsroom, 21st June 2016
Ministry of Community and Social Services, “Ontario moving forward with basic income pilot”, Ontario Newsroom, 24th June 2016
Hugh Segal, “Scrapping Welfare”, Literary Review of Canada, December 2012
“Learn about basic income”, Basic Income Pilot Canada
by Kate McFarland | May 31, 2016 | News
At its national convention in Winnipeg last week, the Liberal Party of Canada — the oldest federal political party in Canada, and the country’s current majority party — passed a resolution in favor of a guaranteed basic income.
This Priority Resolution states, “That the Liberal Party of Canada, in consultation with the provinces, develop a poverty reduction strategy aimed at providing a minimum guaranteed income.”
The rationale for the resolution draws upon Dr. Evelyn Forget’s analysis of the the success of the Mincome experiments, conducted in Dauphin, Manitoba in the late 1970s:
The ever growing gap between the wealthy and the poor in Canada will lead to social unrest, increased crime rates and violence. Research indicates that a guaranteed basic income can reduce this gap, and create social security while being cost neutral. …
… Dr. Evelyn Forget conducted an analysis of the [Mincome] program in 2009 which was published in 2011. Forget found that in the period that mincome was administered, hospital visits dropped 8.5%, with fewer incidents of work-related injuries, and fewer emergency room visits from car accidents and domestic abuse. Additionally, the period saw a reduction in rates of psychiatric hospitalization, and in the number of mental illness-related consultations with health professionals.
Roderick Benns, reporting on the resolution in Leaders and Legacies, contextualizes this breakthrough amid the growing popularity of universal basic income in Canada:
Quebec is currently looking into a form of basic income and Ontario has committed to doing a pilot project beginning this year to study the effects of a minimum income. Prince Edward Island has also expressed strong interest.
Senator Art Eggleton has been relentlessly pushing this issue, as has his retired counterpart, retired Conservative Senator Hugh Segal.
Mayors across Canada are also on board. In fact, no less than nine provincial and territorial capital leaders support basic income or at least pilot projects, with innumerable smaller city and town mayors across the nation declaring their support as well.
References:
Liberal Party of Canada, “Poverty Reduction: Minimum Income,” WPG 2016.
Daniel Tencer, “Basic Income Now Officially Liberal Party Policy,” Huff Post, May 30, 2016.
Roderick Benns, “Liberals ready to shake up Canada’s social policy with basic income guarantee,” Leaders and Legacies, May 30, 2016.
Thanks to my supporters on Patreon. (To see how you too can support my work for Basic Income News, click the link.)
by Kate McFarland | May 25, 2016 | News
Basic income has been a topic of serious discussion in Canada this year, with Ontario preparing to trial a basic income, and Nova Scotia and Manitoba also earnestly debating the idea.
Among its most prominent advocates are Dr. Evelyn Forget, an economist at the University of Manitoba noted for her analysis of the data from the Mincome experiment, and Dr. Danielle Martin, physician and Vice President of Women’s College Hospital.
In this brief interview by Evidence Network.ca, Dr. Forget and Dr. Martin “explain why Canada should consider implementing a basic income.”
Listen to the interview here:
“A guaranteed annual income would improve health and reduce poverty,” Troy Media, 2016.
by Kate McFarland | May 12, 2016 | News
On April 18, 2016, an Oxford-style debate on basic income was held at the Wolf Performance Hall in London, Ontario.
During the event, two basic income supporters, James Mulvale (Dean of the Faculty of Social Work, University of Manitoba) and Chandra Pasma (Policy Analyst, Ottawa), faced off against Mike Moffatt (Ivey School of Business, University of Western Ontario) and Margot Young (Allard School of Law, University of British Columbia).
The debate was open to the public, and, according to the moderator, it was well attended despite (alas!) taking place in a room with no windows on a sunny day.
Prior to debate, attendees were polled on whether they agreed, disagreed, or were undecided about the following motion: “Be it resolved that every Canadian should receive a Basic Income Guarantee.”
After hearing the four experts express their arguments for and against the motion, attendees were again on polled. The winning side was determined by assessing the audience’s change in opinion during the debate.
So, who won?
Well, I wouldn’t want to include any spoilers. Watch the debate on vimeo to find out!
Photo of Downtown London, Ontario CC Mathew Campbell, Wikimedia Commons
Thanks to my supporters on Patreon. (Click the link to see how you too can support my work for Basic Income News.)
