It’s interesting how a pandemic can impact policy. With so much money going out the Federal door in CERB payments to Canadians, it seems quite a few people are kicking the tires again on the idea of a Guaranteed annual income.
It’s been almost three months since the pandemic locked us down to “flatten the curve”. Thousands were thrown out of work due to the restrictions. But they still have to pay the bills. That is where the idea of a basic income, universal basic income or guaranteed annual income discussion arises. The idea is polarizing. Some see it as a hand up to improve the lives of those who are struggling. On the flip side, others see it as a disincentive to work.
Author - Twitter: @roderickbenns
https://roderickbenns.net/Professor of Economics at University of Laval
https://www.fss.ulaval.ca/notre-faculte/repertoire-du-personnel/stephen-gordonPhD student at the Centre for Industrial Relations and Human Resources at University of Toronto
https://kourtneykoebel.ca/The map above shows how the votes are broken down by district.