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Tag Archives: precarious work

The nature of work and how we define ourselves is now in question: Opposition MPP

Progressive Conservative MPP, Julia Munro, says the very nature of work is changing so rapidly that societies are having difficulty figuring out how to respond. Munro, who is the PC critic for the government’s Poverty Reduction Strategy, says the “nature of work has changed so much.” “Everything has always been pinned on our work – our employment. It’s the way ... Read More »

DiNovo says Basic Income must work in tandem with new workplace standards

Fifty years ago, MPP Cheri DiNovo’s father was involved with the Basic Income movement in Canada. That shows the longevity of an idea that has refused to die, she says, as Ontario and other jurisdictions in Canada and around the world contemplate moving forward with some kind of minimum income guarantee. While the NDP’s DiNovo is very supportive of the ... Read More »

John A. Macdonald would have supported a Basic Income policy

If there’s one thing Prime Minister John A. Macdonald could do exceptionally well, it was to recognize where the political winds were blowing. That’s not a criticism. The most able of politicians help move societies where they actually want to go anyway. Leaders and governments merely ensure a smooth transition, if they are doing their jobs well. As we get ... Read More »

Our most basic needs in society surely includes money

For too many years Canada has danced around what is perhaps the central issue in social policy development. What are the most basic needs of Canadian citizens? If one were to read a recent report from the Mowat Centre called Working Without a Net: Rethinking Canada’s Social Policy in the New Age of Work one wouldn’t think it was money. ... Read More »

Basic Income as an equity issue in remote communities

It might not be surprising to learn that in Tuktoyaktuk, a community of about 900 people on the edge of the Arctic Circle, life isn’t easy. About 79 percent of the people who live there are Inuit. In 2012, 21 percent of the population received support in the form of income assistance. A full 85 percent live in subsidized housing. ... Read More »

The economy, jobs, and the need for basic income

The economy is in trouble so we’re in trouble. We’re worried about a general slow-down in activity, job losses, high personal debt levels, inequality, precarious employment, the hidden costs of underemployment and poverty, and so on. There’s a lot of debate going on about what to do. While many and varied prescriptions are being put forward, everyone from left to ... Read More »

Tough times have laid the groundwork for a guaranteed livable income

Saskatchewan is a province in transition. Traditionally alternating between two major political parties; the Sask NDP and a ‘conservative’ type party currently incarnated as the SaskParty. Today, the Saskatchewan Green Party is challenging that status quo in the upcoming April 4, 2016 provincial election. A key policy in the Green Party ‘Real Change’ platform is the implementation of a Guaranteed Livable Income ... Read More »

A basic income guarantee: Time to separate work from having a secure income

One of the biggest worries about adopting a Basic Income Guarantee in Canada is its so-called ‘work disincentive.’ We have all grown up believing that in order to eat, to be housed, to be secure, we must work. And who has not thought that there is a linear relationship between work effort and well-being? This correlation is now untrue, if ... Read More »