Create a Guaranteed Livable Income Program
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NB: this is an excerpt from the United Church of Canada's Website. For more background on this important initiative, please visit the Create a Guaranteed Livable Income Program page.
" . . . for decades, we as a church have been working towards this ... NOW is the time to make history.
Moderator Richard Bott."
Poverty can happen very quickly to anyone. Aware that some pandemic-related relief programs (such as the Canada Emergency Response Benefit, CERB) were scheduled to wind up in July, Moderator Richard Bott has written to elected officials encouraging them to seize the moment to roll out a universal basic income program in collaboration with the provinces, territories, and Indigenous leadership.
“It is my belief,” he writes, “that our collective experience as Canadians during COVID-19 presents a vital opportunity... Together we can take important steps to protect the health and safety of all Canadians going forward.” Read the full letter here.
A growing movement of senators, Anglican and Evangelical Lutheran bishops, and many more across Canada are calling for a universal basic income. In September, hundreds participated in the Light the Flame for a GLI effort through lighting a candle and sending petitions for a guaranteed livable income program while five vigils were held across the country (Parliament Hill, Toronto, Winnipeg, Saskatoon, and Vancouver). The use of “guaranteed” signals a focus on ensuring a level of income for all. Emphasis is on its being available to anyone below a certain income level (universally accessible) rather than necessarily paid out to everyone and then clawed back, which for some is what universal implies. The use of “livable” signals an income that enables people to live with dignity, not just stay alive.