The Time has Come for a National Basic Income System

Basic income has been getting a lot of media attention lately, largely due to the Ontario liberal government’s plan to include a pilot project in their latest budget. Basic income action groups are happening on local and regional levels, and more and more, people are beginning to demand a better solution for social assistance for those in transition than existing programs provide. This MacLean's article argues that a guaranteed annual income creates healthier, happier communities. Implementing pilot projects will generate concrete data to work with when planning for a national systems, as well as provide valuable feedback about the social benefits of enhancing, agency and dignity to those from the more vulnerable of our society. We’ve already embraced the idea of providing assistance using similar models to the elderly and children, with the Guaranteed Income Supplement and the National Child Benefit Supplement, so let’s see how Canada can continue to demonstrate its openess and generosity by innovative designing a guaranteed annual income system. These types of initiatives are a crucial part of the bigger picture, helping us to build more sustainable development paths forward.  To find out more about the basic income network in Canada, click here.

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