Guaranteed Livable Basic Income

Plain meaning

A proposed income-support concept under which eligible people would receive enough income to meet basic needs and live with dignity.

Also called

Background

In the current Parliament, S-206 proposes a national framework rather than an immediate payment program. Similar basic-income framework bills have appeared in earlier Parliaments.

Key points

• S-206 would require the Minister of Finance to develop a national framework for a guaranteed livable basic income.
• The bill does not itself set a monthly or annual benefit amount.
• The framework would have to consider what level of income is needed for people to live with dignity and participate in the community, including regional cost differences.
• The bill refers to access for persons over 17 years of age, including temporary workers, permanent residents, and refugee claimants, but detailed eligibility would depend on the framework.
• The bill does not set a funding formula or tax mechanism; any actual program design would raise later public-finance and tax-policy questions.

Why it comes up

A guaranteed livable basic income would be a major fiscal and tax-policy issue because it could affect federal spending, benefit design, income testing, payroll and income-tax interactions, and the relationship between federal, provincial, and territorial supports.