NDP’s Leah Gazan: it’s time for a guaranteed livable basic income

OTTAWA – On Tuesday, NDP MP Leah Gazan (Winnipeg Centre), joined by advocates for a basic income, called on the Liberal government and all other parties to support her private member’s bill to establish a guaranteed livable basic income (GLBI) in Canada.

According to a recent Statistics Canada report, the poverty rate across the country is going up. A GLBI would help lift people out of poverty by allowing them to afford their basic needs like groceries, rent and medication.

“Across the country, we are seeing increased homelessness and food bank usage due to decades of cuts and corporate greed going unchecked under Liberal and Conservative governments,” said Gazan. “Poverty is a policy choice, and it’s time that the Liberal government chooses to support all people in Canada. In a country as wealthy as Canada, no one should have to live in poverty—that’s why a GLBI is needed now.”

Gazan is proposing a GLBI for all people living in Canada over the age of 17 regardless of participation in the workforce or an educational training program. Regional differences in the cost of living are considerations addressed in the bill.

Furthermore, the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls explicitly called for a GLBI in its Call for Justice 4.5 to prevent Indigenous women, girls and gender-diverse people from being in a vulnerable situation.

“Women’s organizations have been clear: if we want to tackle gender-based violence, we need a GLBI to provide women and gender-diverse folks with the financial resources they need to protect themselves from violence,” added Gazan. “A GLBI will improve our social safety net. I call on all parliamentarians to join the NDP in support of this bill.”