In an interview with BICN's Roderick Benns, Disability Without Poverty’s national director Rabia Khedr said that real headway is being made in securing a basic income for people with disabilities in Canada – and that’s good for the whole basic income movement.

“I support all people having a livable income,” Khedr said. As people with disabilities, we believe everyone has the right to have their basic needs met, regardless of their ability to work. We should be supporting society’s members with their basic needs so they’re not struggling.”

Khedr says basic income though is most clearly on the table for people with disabilities at the moment, given the most recent throne speech committed to the creation of a new Canadian Disability Benefit for people with disabilities.

The national director says her organization came about specifically as a result of the pandemic, which pushed people with disabilities “further into the margins.”

You can read the rest of the interview here.

NDP MP Leah Gazan, who represents Winnipeg Centre, introduced a private member’s bill to develop a national framework for a permanent Guaranteed Livable Basic Income (GLBI) in Canada. 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. Gazan also says the proposal will take into account differences in costs of living regionally, and there are provisions to ensure people with exceptional health or disability needs do not have their services reduced. Senator Kim Pate will also be introducing a similar bill in the Senate. You can see Bill C-232 here and if you click Read more below for Gazan's statements.

Senator Kim Pate, a supporter of Basic Income, recently gave a speech which you can watch here on the economic recovery after introducing a motion which calls on the Senate’s National Finance Committee to examine the human, social and financial costs of abandoning people in poverty and the potential for implementing measures such as guaranteed livable basic income. You can find out more about her motion here.

December 3rd is International Day for People with Disabilities, and here at OBIN we just wanted to remind you that Persons with Disabilities represent 22% of the population in Canada, and many live well below the poverty line. A Basic Income not tied to work would help many of them, particularly those who are unable to work because of their disabilities, live more financially secure lives.

You can find a recent webinar organised by Basic Income Hamilton and The Basic Income Canada Youth Network on Basic Income and Youth on YouTube or here on the OBIN website.

It was moderated by Basic Income Canada Youth Network Co-Chairs Kendal David and Chloe Halpenny with speakers Alana Baltze, Manpinder Dhillon, Marie Dolcetti-Koros, Madi Fuller, and Debbie Owusu-Akyeeah.

Ontario Basic Income Network (OBIN) is accepting applications to join the C Team. If you want to join a welcoming team dedicated to promoting Basic Income, check out our call for applications. With provincial elections in Ontario and municipal elections in Toronto on the horizon for next year, this is the perfect time to get involved!

On October 21, between 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm, the Eastern Ontario Outaouais Regional Council will be hosting an event to present the book The Case for Basic Income: Freedom, Security, Justice by Jamie Swift and Elaine Power. The event is being organised by Guaranteed Livable Income Ottawa and will be online. You can find more details about it and register here.

The federal election on September 20, 2021, saw basic income advocates elected and re-elected to the House of Commons. Julie Dzerowicz, who introduced Bill C-273, which would "requires the Minister of Finance to develop a national strategy to assess implementation models for a guaranteed basic income program", was re-elected as the MP for Davenport in a close election. Other Liberal Ontario MPs who took Basic Income Now's 'Candidate's pledge' to support the establishment of a national basic income who were elected include Nathaniel Erskine-Smith in Beaches-East York, Mark Gerretsen in Kingston and the Islands, and Yasir Naqvi in Ottawa Centre. The Green's Mike Morris won the party its first seat in Ontario after taking the pledge. The NDP is also sending a candidate from Ontario who took the pledge to parliament, Matthew Green of Hamilton Centre.

Basic Income Now is organising a march on September 18th, just before the upcoming federal election. The March for Basic Income will begin at Nathan Phillips Square (city hall) by the big Toronto sign. From there, people will given maps and signs, and will be organised in groups and will walk up through Yonge and Dundas, ending in Yorkville, with speakers interspersed along the route. 

You can find more details and sign up for the march here.

Back in July, a Leger poll, conducted in collaboration with the Association for Canadian Studies (ACS), found that "Addressing the situation for low-income Canadians with a universal basic income" was the third most popular answer to the question "With an election in Canada likely this fall, what do you feel is the most important issue to be debated?"

13% of Canadians responded this was the most important issue for them, behind economic recovery and rebuilding the healthcare system post-COVID-19. This put it ahead of climate change and indigenous reconciliation on the list of priorities for Canadians.

With the election coming up in exactly one month today, it's important to make sure the establishment of a basic income will be a salient issue in this election.