Open Democracy
Beyond Trafficking and Slavery: Please start by describing the tone of the Canadian conversation around basic income these days. Is there openness to the idea?
Sheila Regehr: There is openness. It’s not universal, but it’s gaining ground among advocates and people working in sectors like food security, health and mental health.
We recently gained some sponsors from organised labour. That was a new and exciting development, because there are mixed views about basic income within the labour movement. I think there’s a growing sense that we need solutions to some really serious problems, and it’s bringing people towards the idea. It’s a struggle though.
Ben Earle: We have some political support too, but it’s not broad political support. There are bills being put forward in parliament at the moment, mostly by junior and backbench politicians. They may not pass, but they’re helping us gain traction in the political realm. There isn’t support yet at the level of party leadership, at least not publicly. Basic income is in the background of the political sphere right now in Canada. But it’s gaining ground in various sectors and across civil society.
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