I support replacing our current mish-mash of income support programs with a basic income guarantee.
A basic income guarantee is the most effective, democratic and competent way to shift the largest number of people from a life of poverty to a life where income is sufficient to meet basic needs. Our current system does not provide enough support to allow anyone to live a life of dignity, free from the fear of how to meet the most modest survival requirements.
Today’s announcement that Guy Caron has entered the race for leader of the Federal NDP party is great news for basic income advocates. He has declared that his first policy proposal would be a basic income.
For the past year-plus I was fortunate to work with the advocacy group Basic Income Waterloo Region. Now, happily back home in B.C., I am so pleased to see that the leader of the BC Green Party, Andrew Weaver, is an advocate for basic income, calling for a pilot project in B.C. The government of Ontario, in early 2016 committed to implementing a pilot project for basic income.
Rather than let opponents to BI hijack the conversation our goal as advocates must be to ensure that the electorate knows what basic income is to allow it to make an informed decision.
Come on people of Vancouver Island! This is the only part of the country that voted overwhelmingly NDP in the last federal election. Are we going to let Ontario lead on the most progressive way to end poverty?
Anyone living mid-Island who is already working to advocate basic income or wants to begin, please contact me at basicincomevi2017@gmail.com. Now is the time to end poverty in Canada.
Wendy Devlin
Chemainus