Basic Income Endorsements

Leadnow

A Guaranteed Livable Basic Income is an idea made for these times — we need big solutions to the challenges we’re facing. Leadnow endorses Motion 46 and is heartened to see growing cross-partisan support. With a Basic Income, our political leaders can ensure everyone has enough money to feed their families and stay housed in these difficult times.

Workers United Canada Council

Workers United Canada Council (WUCC) takes great delight in supporting NDP MP Leah Gazan's Motion-46. As a union where many immigrants and notably women, have gotten their first jobs, we have fought for better wages, benefits and working conditions. Motion - 46 will reach out to all those in economic need and help establish a guaranteed livable basic income and help establish a more equitable Canadian society.

National Farmers Union

A basic income guarantee would reduce income insufficiency, food insecurity, financial insecurity, and ensure everyone an income sufficient to meet basic needs and live in dignity including farmers, seasonal workers and eaters.

United Steelworkers - Syndicat des Métallos

Canadians need bold and thoughtful measures to invest in the human capital of our country, to eliminate poverty, to improve health and education outcomes and to provide real economic opportunity to all.

Canadian Federation of Students

The Canadian Federation of Students is thrilled to endorse Motion 46. With a combined membership of over half a million students, we are committed to fighting for accessible post-secondary education for all. Motion 46 is a major step towards ensuring that students have an opportunity to access education without having to worry about choosing between paying their rent and affording their studies, it would lift many people out of poverty, and ensure that students are no longer left behind during these uncertain times.

IATSE Canada

The IATSE wholeheartedly endorses Motion 46. As the crew behind virtually every major film, TV show, theatrical production or concert, IATSE members know what it is to work in an industry where work can be cyclical or irregular. Having a minimum guaranteed income ensures that entertainment workers – particularly those just starting out – are able to choose and remain in the industry, and can continue to create the cultural content that all Canadians benefit from.

Basic Income Canada Network

The Basic Income Canada Network (BICN/RCRG) is pleased to work with Ms. Gazan, MPs from all parties and a range of Senators to advance government action on a basic income that is urgently needed in Canada. We are privileged to have been able to contribute to Motion 46 and are working to gain support from others across the country.

Immigration Partnership Winnipeg

Immigration Partnership Winnipeg (IPW) values motion 46 as it is another tool to chip off the pyramid of poverty and financial barriers to healthy integration to many of the newcomer individuals and families in Canada regardless of their statuses. IPW , through collaborative partnerships, would continue the effort in reducing poverty among newcomers and the larger society by supporting all realistic and evidence-based initiatives that lead to addressing lack of economic inclusion and equity issues.

Grand Chief Jerry Daniels, Southern Chiefs Organization (SCO)

As a founding partner of the MMIWG Manitoba Coalition, the Southern Chiefs’ Organization (SCO) and Grand Chief Jerry Daniels are in full support of Motion 46, a private members motion submitted by MP Leah Gazan. Motion 46 converts the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) into guaranteed livable basic income, responding to Call for Justice 4.5 of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls and providing a significant step forward in advancing human rights for all. I encourage all Canadians who care about inequity to come together and support Motion 46.

UFCW Local 832

UFCW Local 832 is proud to endorse MP Leah Gazan’s M-46 Guaranteed Livable Basic Income. We are happy to support this important step for Canadians both now during our current pandemic, and going forward. UFCW Local 832 represents over 18,000 members across Manitoba working in food production, food distribution warehousing, grocery retail, hospitality, security, personal care, and assisted living.

Canadian Federation of Students - Manitoba

Representing over 45,000 post-secondary students in Manitoba, the Canadian Federation of Students - MB is strongly committed to fighting for free and accessible education for all. Motion 46 shares this commitment. A permanent and guaranteed livable basic income is the right step towards an inclusive, equitable and just society.

Disability Justice Network of Ontario

The Disability Justice Network of Ontario (DJNO), a collective of young people with disabilities, fully supports MP Gazan's motion for a Guaranteed Livable Basic Income, one that replaces the Canadian Emergency Response Benefit. A Guaranteed Livable Basic Income is not the end all be all with regard to tackling economic injustices faced by people with disabilities in this country, but when coupled with existing social assistance programs, proper universal pharmacare and housing supports, a GLBI will be a step toward building a Canada where people with disabilities are free to be. For the government to provide anything less than GLBI amidst the global crisis we are facing would be further evidence of what we know to be true: that monetary profits holds more political weight than the value of human life in our country.

Alberta Policy Coalition for Chronic Disease Prevention (APCCP)

A guaranteed livable basic income is critical to ensuring all working-age Canadians have access to consistent and stable income to meet basic needs, such as food, in a dignified way. We fully support Motion 46.

Fridays For Future Nelson

Fridays for Future Nelson is proud to endorse Motion 46 for a Guaranteed Basic Income. Motion 46 is a vital move to build a better world for everyone, and it is particularly crucial in the wake of Covid-19, and as we shift away from fossil fuels. Thank you to MP Gazan for bringing forward this important motion; it will help make the world a more just, equal, and livable place for everyone.

Manitobans for Human Rights

Manitobans for Human Rights supports Motion 46 because all persons deserve to live in dignity with human rights. A permanent guaranteed livable basic income is a major step forward in ensuring human rights are met for all Canadians.

Social Planning Council of Winnipeg

The Social Planning Council of Winnipeg has over a 100 years experience working to better lives through evidenced based progressive public policy. We are well aware of the success of the Dauphin Manitoba Mincome Project and see the failure of the governments of the day to continue it and that of successive governments to implement it nationally a missed opportunity to address the systemic bias and racism that keeps too many locked in poverty. Motion 46 deserves special consideration given its inclusivity of all who seek to call Canada home regardless of official status’. Dauphin proved that when people had the opportunity to fully and freely contribute to society because they were not hampered by concerns over their basic needs, they did. They improved their own lives and those of the greater community.

Poverty Free Thunder Bay

Eliminating poverty is both a moral and economic imperative. We need a comprehensive plan where needs and rights of people are at the centre. Truly, all parties of the government must act together to better our communities by making life better for low-income people in Canada.

Manitoba Public Health Association

A guaranteed livable basic income would constitute a right enjoyed by all members of the Canadian community to have their basic needs met independent of any conditions. As such, it will improve the health, sense of security and quality of life of all Canadians and residents.

Make Poverty History Manitoba

The COVID-19 pandemic has so clearly exposed the long-standing pervasiveness and severity of poverty in Canada. Now is the time for comprehensive measures to help end poverty in Canada and Manitoba.

Make Poverty History Manitoba supports Motion 46's Guaranteed Livable Basic Income plan especially considering its basis within a system of strong public services, social housing & other income supports and its expanded inclusion of refugee claimants, temporary foreign workers, and other non-citizens. This motion, if enacted, would be a gamechanger for eradicating poverty.

Senator Kim Pate

For far too long, the vision of equal access to rights, protections and opportunities set out in Canada’s Charter has not been a reality for all in this country. The guaranteed livable basic income envisioned in Motion 46 would assist individuals who find themselves in need. It would provide the space to allow people options to plan a way out of poverty and crisis, whether through education, training, waged or volunteer work, caring for families, building networks of support or contributing to the community, in ways that enrich all of us. Motion 46 advocates a vital step toward eradicating longstanding inequality and discrimination, and toward more just, resilient and cohesive communities for all.

Ka Ni Kanichihk

Ka Ni Kanichihk has been supporting families of MMIWG2S for almost 2 decades. It is our responsibility to respond to their collective voices and endorse the actions and activities that respond to the 231 Calls to Justice. A Guaranteed Livable Income is fundamental to preventing all forms of violence and we support this important initiative.

Basic Income Peterborough Network

BIPN has been working towards a Basic Income Guarantee for all Canadians since 2015. We believe that our set of principles aligns completely with the principles for a basic income outlined in Motion 46.

Ontario Basic Income Network

Ontario Basic Income Network (OBIN) commends and supports MP Leah Gazan, and every MP who has signed Motion 46. The leadership and vision reflected in this motion is what so many Canadians have been asking of our elected officials. Basic Income is required to support people in precarious and unstable positions. But it is so much more. It's about our social fabric and being able to recognize that times have changed: we need to change with them. OBIN asks that the Canadian Government take basic income seriously - it is needed NOW!

Resource Assistance for Youth (RaY)

For over 25 years, Resource Assistance for Youth, Inc. (RaY) has worked closely with youth experiencing homelessness and has seen first-hand the difference youth can make in their own lives when they have access to reliable income. Current gaps in the social safety net and piecemeal social programming cause youth to fall through the cracks and end up on our streets. These gaps include frozen EIA rates as well as EIA rates that are insufficient to access safe and clean affordable housing. We need an Income First approach to address poverty in our communities. A Universal Basic Income provides youth with an opportunity to break cycles of abuse, leave violent relationships, further their education, and access treatment, without worrying about how they will feed themselves or pay their rent. RaY supports Motion 46 and the difference it will make in the lives of marginalized youth and the opportunities it will create for their futures.

Sid Frankel

Basic Income Manitoba Board Member

Canada’s income security system has always contained many gaps, inequalities and inefficiencies, which have been worsened by the pandemic. A guaranteed livable basic income would solve these deficiencies and increase the sense of security and well-being of all who live in Canada.

Lana Robinson, Clerk, Canadian Friends Service Committee (Quakers)

I am in full support of bringing this forward. A guaranteed basic income has long been shown to have a multitude of benefits, far beyond the direct recipients of these funds. It's about time.

Manitoba Young New Democrats

Too many Manitobans do not have equal access to protections, resources, and opportunities. A guaranteed livable basic income will allow for more Manitobans to have their basic human rights met, and the opportunity to live in dignity. And, as Young New Democrats, we are especially cognizant that Gazan’s motion will lift many Manitoban children out of poverty and benefit young people, particularly as they pursue higher education.

The Social Development Advisors Technical Group (SDATG)

As Advisors to the On-Reserve Income Assistance Program, we have seen the impacts, issues and struggles due to the low-income IA clients received from the Federal Government. We believe this motion will provide a step in the right direction to help and support clients and their dependents in living a more affordable and stable lifestyle which can in turn help eliminate the high percent of poverty within our First Nations.

The North Saskatchewan Independent Living Centre

The North Saskatchewan Independent Living Centre Inc. is in support of motion 46 (M-46) which calls for guaranteed livable basic income, with an emphasis on section (v) of the motion. As a cross-disability organization, we too often see individuals with disabilities living in poverty due to their distinct health needs. Fair is not always equal.

Basic Income Canada Youth Network

The Basic Income Canada Youth Network (BICYN) is a group of engaged young people in Canada who are passionate about basic income. We want everyone in Canada to have enough income to meet their needs, participate meaningfully in their communities, and live with dignity – which is why we support Motion 46 and MP Leah Gazan’s efforts to make a permanent Guaranteed Livable Basic Income a reality in Canada.

Asian Women for Equality

In particular recognition of the labour of women, poor women and women of colour that so often goes under-paid, un-paid, and unacknowledged, Asian Women for Equality supports Motion 46 for a guaranteed livable income as advocates for the rightful share of wealth that we deserve. We see Motion 46 as an important first step toward building women's economic security, helping to enable us to escape and fight male violence against women so that we may advance sexual and racial equality.

Mosaic Newcomer Family Resource Network

A guaranteed livable basic income is essential to meet basic needs and for all people to live with dignity regardless of what life circumstances have intervened in their lives. We want Canada to be a country that welcomes newcomers from every corner of the world with a promise of a new life in a truly welcoming and compassionate country.

Senator Frances Lankin

COVID-19 has shined a light on the vulnerabilities of our social safety net. Despite the good efforts of governments across Canada, too many Canadians fell through the cracks and are suffering just trying to keep a roof over their head and food on the table. Neither the market, nor the current patchwork of social programs can do the trick. It’s as simple as that. Converting the CERB into a basic income is both the just and the smart thing to do.

Coalition Canada basic Income - revenu de base

Basic income is a cornerstone of a just recovery. Coalition Canada Basic Income endorses M-46.

Senator Marilou McPhedran (Manitoba)

CERB has proven that a Guaranteed Livable Income (GLI or Basic Income) is possible and good for Canadians. GLI is deeply interconnected with fair access to housing, healthcare, education and social services. As the very rich get richer, GLI is how Canada can uphold our international reputation for respecting fundamental human rights - by creating a path for all Canadians to reach peace, wellbeing and security.

Jenica Atwin, Member of Parliament for Fredericton

Guaranteed livable basic income is a strategy that helps Canadians across the continuum to provide immediate relief to so many, opening doors previously closed and bringing hopes and dreams closer to reality. Canada needs a Guaranteed livable basic income now!

Le revenu de subsistance garanti est une stratégie qui vise à offrir une aide immédiate aux Canadiens et Canadiennes de tous horizons, qui permet d’accéder à des opportunités autrefois inaccessibles et qui a le potentiel de réaliser les espoirs et les rêves des gens. Le Canada a besoin du revenu de subsistance garanti maintenant!

Lenore Zann, Member of Parliament for Cumberland-Colchester

I once had the opportunity to work in Sweden for a period of time where I first heard about a Guaranteed Liveable Annual Income. I am still grateful for the experience as I saw first-hand the economic, physical and mental health benefits as well as the basic stability it brought to the lives of an entire nation. I’ve been championing this governance initiative ever since and am pleased to support Motion 46 introduced by MP Gazan.

Paul Manly, Member of Parliament for Nanaimo—Ladysmith

As a long time advocate for Guaranteed Livable Basic Income I am proud to support Motion 46. Establishing a GLBI program would be comparable to the passage of the Medical Care Act in 1966, and equally transformative to Canadian society.

Nathaniel Erskine-Smith, Member of Parliament for Beaches-East York

Our social safety net is no longer fit for purpose, and needs to be reinvented through a basic income that guards against moral luck and ensures no one is left behind. While incrementalism often defines our politics, we live in a moment that demands more, and we should seize the opportunity to end poverty and give every Canadian the dignity they deserve.

Matthew Green, MP for Hamilton Centre

While successive governments continue to design social policies to exclude our most vulnerable during this crisis, it is clear that this #Motion46 introduced by MP Gazan is the only viable path towards a just COVID recovery that includes everybody in Canada regardless of their age, income, or access to employment.

Peter Julian, MP for New Westminster-Burnaby

I support M-46 because I believe that we can no longer leave millions of Canadians without the basic necessities of life. Canada is a wealthy country but our wealth is monopolized by the richest citizens and most profitable corporations. This needs to change!

Niki Ashton, Member of Parliament for Churchill—Keewatinook Aski

It’s time for a livable income - from a guaranteed income to a living wage to real investment in housing, health and education - we must eradicate poverty and ensure economic justice for all. It’s time for M-46. Thank you MP Leah Gazan!

Jenny Kwan, MP for Vancouver East

We are all connected through our shared humanity and together we have the responsibility to make sure everyone can live with basic human rights and dignity. As the inequality gap continues to grow in favour of Canada’s wealthiest, we must restore the balance to favour equality. Proud to second MP Leah Gazan's M-46, calling for a guaranteed basic livable income for all and to #StandUpforHumanRights.

Mumilaaq Qaqqaq, Member of Parliament for Nunavut

The Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) showed how difficult it was for many Canadians to access critical services and support during the COVID-19 pandemic. Going forward we need to make sure everyone has the stability and support that they need, which is why I support my colleague MP Leah Gazan’s motion M-46, to implement a Guaranteed Livable Basic Income.

Don Davies, Member of Parliament for Vancouver Kingsway

As Health Critic for Canada’s New Democrats, I know that social determinants are the most important factors in keeping Canadians healthy. Ensuring access to secure housing, nutritious food, clean water and stable income is the best way we can ensure every Canadian’s wellness. We need a guaranteed livable basic income not only for ethical reasons, but also because it will improve everyone’s health.

Daniel Blaikie, MP for Elmwood-Transcona

There are many factors beside income that contribute to a person living in poverty, but we cannot put an end to poverty without solving the income problem. A basic income, coupled as it must be with a strong social safety net, would allow every Canadian to live with dignity and support them in overcoming the challenges that caused their poverty in the first place.

Carol Hughes, MP for Algoma—Manitoulin—Kapuskasing

Our recent experience with the Canada Emergency Relief Benefit showcased how effective a guaranteed income can be, especially when it comes to supporting local economies. With so many Canadians just a few hundred dollars from debt at any time, a program that protects us from that is desperately needed. That’s why I support M 46.

Scott Duvall, MP for Hamilton Mountain

Proud to support my colleague Leah Gazan’s Motion 46 which would transform the CERB into a Guaranteed Livable Basic Income. Every Canadian should have the right to live a life of dignity regardless of their economic status.

Alistair MacGregor, MP for Cowichan-Malahat-Langford

I’ve seen and met far too many people who are struggling just to get by in our local communities. I support M-46 because I think the time has finally come for us to tackle poverty and inequality in Canada

Randall Garrison, MP for Esquimalt—Saanich—Sooke

I support Motion M-46, Guaranteed Livable Basic Income, because I have heard from far too many of my constituents who are falling through the cracks of the Liberal Government’s support programs which often seem designed to exclude rather than include. A livable direct payment such as the one proposed by MP Leah Gazan would ensure that help reaches those who need it, as we make it through this pandemic and as we work to rebuild a more equitable and sustainable Canada.

Heather McPherson, MP for Edmonton-Strathcona

I am proud to support Motion 46, calling for guaranteed livable basic income for all persons in Canada. Now, in the midst of a global pandemic, as we envision an economic recovery that includes all people, eradicating poverty and ensuring the respect, dignity and security of all persons in Canada is vital. Thank-you Leah Gazan for this important motion.

Taylor Bachrach, MP for Skeena—Bulkley Valley

The pandemic has exposed how our existing social support systems have been failing far too many people. In a country as well off as Canada, it's unacceptable that so many families continue to live in poverty. That’s why I believe we need to try a different approach -- one that ensures dignity and basic wellbeing for all.

Gord Johns, MP for Courtenay-Alberni

My riding, Courtenay-Alberni includes communities with among the highest rates of child poverty in British Columbia. Inadequate income support is a major contributor to trapping many in a cycle of poverty. A guaranteed livable basic income combined with child care, affordable housing and enhanced health care access are essential requirements for families who are struggling.

Alexandre Boulerice, Member of Parliament for Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie

“Ce que nous a révélé la pandémie est toutes les lacunes et les manquements de notre système de santé et de notre filet de sécurité sociale. Les inégalités sont apparues plus flagrantes. La motion de ma collègue Leah est un pas dans la bonne direction pour bâtir une société plus juste où personne n’est laissé de côté.

What we learned with the pandemic is the failures and holes we have within our healthcare system and our social safety net. All the inequalities became more obvious. My colleague’s motion is a step in the right direction to build a just society where no one is left behind.”

Brian Masse, Member of Parliament for Windsor West

I proudly represent the riding of Windsor West, one of Canada’s most diverse populations, but we also struggle with high poverty rates including children. M-46 is a positive solution, we know we are better than this, and this initiative is a way forward down that path!

Rachel Blaney, Member of Parliament for North Island - Powell River

Canada is a wealthy nation, yet income disparity and poverty are still growing here and no one should be ok with that. A Guaranteed Livable Basic Income is one of the ways we can tackle these issues head-on and support the most vulnerable among us.

Jack Harris, Member of Parliament for St. John's East

I have seen the inequality gap continue to grow and the serious challenges faced by my constituents in St. Johns’ East. The pandemic has underscored the vulnerabilities in our system and now is the time to address it. Our Party has long championed the goal of a society where no one is left behind. The time has come for the adoption of a universal guaranteed living income. I support MP Leah Gazan’s motion for a Guaranteed Livable Basic Income.

Laurel Collins, Member of Parliament for Victoria

Poverty and economic injustice are not inevitable. They are the result of successive government choices, and we can make different choices. A guaranteed livable basic income is one important step towards eradicating poverty and supporting the people who need it most.

Charlie Angus, Member of Parliament for Timmons-James Bay

What we learned from the pandemic is that within two weeks of the lockdown being declared millions of Canadians did not have enough savings to pay their rent. It taught us that Canada's safety net is badly shredded. That is why we need to talk bold new ideas like a Guaranteed Livable Income put forward by MP Gazan. New Democrats were sent to Ottawa to fight for people. This is the work that Leah is doing. And she's on fire.

Richard Cannings, Member of Parliament for South Okanagan-West Kootenay

COVID-19 has exposed the serious and growing gaps in the income supports such as Employment Insurance that Canadians have been so proud of. We need a new system that ensures that all Canadians can live in dignity and live without poverty. A guaranteed liveable income would provide that support for all Canadians and leave no-one behind. I fully endorse Leah Gazan’s Motion 46 to press the federal government to act quickly on GLI!

Grandmothers Act to Save the Planet (GASP)

Grandmothers Act to Save the Planet (GASP) are pleased to endorse MP Leah Gazan's Motion 46 which calls for a permanent Guaranteed Livable Income. Covid-19 highlights the shortfalls of our present system and clearly demonstrates the necessity of a Basic Income. GASP, committed to leaving our grandchildren a just and livable planet, believe poverty and the environment are interrelated. This motion will help mitigate the worst impacts of the Climate Crisis for the most marginalized and vulnerable people in Canada

Manitoba League of Persons with Disabilities

The Manitoba League of Persons with Disabilities supports MP Leah Gazan’s motion that the Canada Emergency Response Benefit be converted to a Guaranteed Livable Basic Income. As an organization advocating for the rights of people with disabilities, a disproportionately low income demographic, we have heard from our members time and time again that Employment Income Assistance is not enough. We fully endorse Ms. Gazan and her efforts to ensure all Canadians live “in dignity with basic human rights”, as mentioned in her letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. It is time for people with disabilities to receive the services and benefits they so desperately need.