OTTAWA, TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2022 — This afternoon, Ottawa Senator Kim Pate opened debate in the Senate on legislation urging the government to implement guaranteed livable basic income.
In the streets outside the Senate, the consequences of failing to address health, social and economic inequities unfold. While the siege of Ottawa continues to underscore the ways in which the impact of decades of economic policies that intentionally disadvantage the most dispossessed are being exploited and amplified by some, the imperative of eliminating poverty and inequality has never been more clear.
While government policies continue to ignore those in need, abandon people to poverty and leave too many as easy prey for populist opportunists, Senator Pate and Treaty One Territory MP Leah Gazan are urging parliamentarians to pave a path forward via Bill S-233 in the Senate and Bill C-223 in the House of Commons on guaranteed livable basic income.
In order to ensure that everyone has the economic means to care for themselves, their families and their communities, and that no one has to fear being suddenly left with nothing, they are calling for income supports sufficient to live on and available to anyone below the poverty line.
“It is an honour to work with Senator Pate, GLBI advocates and organizations to ensure that no one in Canada is left behind,” says MP Leah Gazan. “We need a GLBI that builds upon our existing social safety net to ensure dignity, security and human rights for all.”
“It is time for policies that meaningfully counter poverty, inequality and marginalization,” concludes Senator Pate. “It is time for guaranteed livable basic income.”
