A guaranteed livable basic income (GLBI) is a predictable cash payment provided unconditionally by the government to all individuals in Canada who need it, without requirements to work (or seek work, training, and education), in order to build on our current social safety net and afford all persons in Canada with respect, dignity, security, and human rights affirmed in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
Governing should be about investing in people first and not corporations; this includes divesting from corporate welfare, ending off-shore tax havens, and taxing the ultra wealthy. According to a 2018 CRA study on illegal tax dodging and a 2019 PBO report on legal tax dodging, Canadians are missing out on as much as $51 billion per year in uncollected taxes, in places such as off-shore tax havens and tax avoidance schemes.
Our current social problems are not free and we must invest differently. The cost of inequality, insecurity and poverty is high and unsustainable for all levels of government. Can you imagine if we made the ultra wealthy pay their fair share and used that money to invest in people?
A guaranteed livable basic income must be administered in addition to: increased investments in current and future government public services, accessible affordable social housing, expanded health services, and income supports meant to meet special, exceptional and other distinct needs and goals rather than basic needs.