Universal incomes: where does Canada stand?

The results from a three-year cash transfer research program are in. When provided with additional cash, people from low-income households tended to increase their spending on basic necessities – food, transportation and rent – and provide financial support to others. 

This research took place in Texas and Illinois, but Canada is also no stranger to the Universal Basic Income (UBI) or guaranteed income concepts. Federally, the Guaranteed Income Supplement provides supplementary income to seniors in economically precarious situations. Prince Edward Island was proposed as a pilot province for a universal basic income policy that stretches beyond seniors. 

However, some programs have remained in the pilot or experimentation phase or shut down altogether. Vancouver-based Foundations for Social Change partnered with the University of British Columbia to distribute a one-time cash transfer of $7,500 to those experiencing homelessness. The research did show a reduction in housing precarity, but it was not repeated. 

Similarly, Manitoba’s MINCOME program, which ran in Dauphin in the 1970s, was closed down. “Data collection ceased after two years due to inadequate resources,” according toresearch by the Economic Security Project. 

Bills S-233 and C-223 are currently going through parliamentary processes, and, if passed, would see a national-level framework developed for a guaranteed basic income. 

If passed and UBI eventually becomes a federal program, non-profits may see a reduction in need for services. 

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