GuelphToday received the following Letter to the Editor from Basic Income Guelph rep. Elizabeth Snell in regards to basic income:
Maybe your son is working a gig job and living in your basement. Or you know a single mother struggling to pay the rent. Or your friend’s workplace injury leaves him destitute. Or you’ve heard of university students relying on food banks.
Imagine their relief and transformed lives if they had a bit more money each month.
One option is a guaranteed basic living income for adults 18 to 64. It would be an unconditional cash transfer from government to low-income individuals, topping up any other income to reach a level so everyone can meet basic needs, participate in society and live with dignity. Low-income seniors have this: they are covered with a Guaranteed Income Supplement to CPP and OAS.
Your son could start the business he’s been planning and build his own life. The single mother could focus on raising healthy children. Your friend could afford tuition to learn a new trade. Students’ grades and prospects would rise as nutritious food boosts their energy and health.
The consistent outcome is more productive, healthier, happier citizens.
We hear that Canada has a productivity problem. The government response - $50 billion annually in corporate subsidies and tax breaks - is 80% ineffective or harmful according to the C.D. Howe Institute. The Parliamentary Budget Office just released a report that estimated that basic income could reduce poverty by 40% at a net cost of $3.6 billion to $5 billion annually, with negligible effect on hours worked. What if we switched $5 billion from ineffectively subsidizing rich companies to giving everyone a chance to participate in our economy? The rise in productivity would be dramatic. And the money would be all spent in Canada.
Health system costs are skyrocketing. Healthier, better-fed and adequately housed recipients would save the system millions. Pressures on food banks would shrink.
Polarization threatens as income gaps widen. Happier, more secure citizens are much more likely to participate in society and contribute to a sense of community.
Basic income pilots, including the Ontario one that was cancelled by the current government, confirm that recipients boosted work skills, jobs, health, and sense of self-worth. Ultimately many recipients will raise their income and no longer qualify - a sign of a successful program.
Campaigns at all levels are opportunities to promote a basic income. Voters can remind candidates that a basic income would ease many current issues and ask the candidates where they stand.
The basic income bottom line: healthier Canadians and a more resilient Canada.
Elizabeth Snell on behalf of Basic Income Guelph
