The debate continues: a basic income in Canada

The concept of a guaranteed basic income has gained a lot of attention over the past few years. And on rabble, the idea has been discussed, debated, and deliberated from a variety of angles. 

In May this year, MP Leah Gazan and Senator Kim Pate joined us as part of our Off the Hill political panel series, talking about their proposed bills, Bill S-233 and Bill C-223 which urge the government to implement guaranteed livable basic income. They believe in a guaranteed livable basic income as a tool, not as a final solution, to combat the growing inequality in Canada. 

However, there are others who believe a basic income isn’t key in solving inequality in Canada. Some argue that a program like basic income cannot adequately address the many issues that contribute to poverty in our country, such as the cost of housing, poor labour standards, access to health care and child care, and so on. 

Basic income, or a guaranteed income, the term has many different names – and means different things to many different groups. 

This week on the show, Doreen Nicoll speaks to Ron Hikel, a political scientist who has spent decades studying the economics of a guaranteed minimum income. They discuss what it would actually take to make a basic income program work in Canada. 

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Photo credit: Ilana Gotz on Unsplash https://unsplash.com/photos/lqHhxCrG_JI