Senator Kim Pate wants to spend less on poverty, invest more in people
UBI Works is encouraging Canadians to let their MP, Premier and local councillor know that it’s time for an unconditional universal GLBI. Over 800,000 Canadians have taken this step. Be the next!
Senator Kim Pate Credit: Senate of Canada website
Senator Kim Pate would like to see a nation-wide, publicly funded Guaranteed Livable Basic Income (GLBI) program implemented across Canada.
While Senator Pate believes a GLBI should not replace other necessary social services, she knows it should be enough to meet the basic needs of recipients and provide opportunities for people break free from the shackles of poverty.
A GLBI is an unconditional transfer of income that meets basic needs and is available to people with income below a certain threshold that’s based on yearly filed tax returns. A GLBI acts as insurance, for all Canadians, against economic insecurity.
Current social assistance programs like Ontario Works (OW) — $733 per month — and Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) — $1,408 per month — keep people in poverty because funding is minimal, uncertain, and subject to strict policing and complex requirements. The Ford government privatized intake and supervision of these programs by outsourcing oversight to the Virginia-based firm Maximus. While the Ford government’s privatization of social services in Ontario may prove “cost-effective” it is tantamount to social murder. The provincial government adjusted legislation so third parties like Maximus can be appointed giving them the power and authority to operate, delegate and provide services that historically have been under government oversight. That raises questions of transparency and has effectively ended wrap-around supports because of a lack of funding because the corporation still needs to make a healthy profit to keep shareholders content.
A GLBI gives individuals the stability and resources they need to plan for the future and create a pathway out of poverty. According to Signposts to Success: Report of a BICN Survey of Ontario Basic Income Recipients, during the 2017- 2019 Ontario Basic Income Pilot, one out of three participants went back to school or upgraded their skills. One out of three supported their employment by using the funds to pay for transportation, childcare, or to invest in a business. Half the participants experienced fewer health problems. Three out of five improved their housing.
The UBC study, Science leads the way in initiative providing direct cash transfers to individuals, provided $7,500 cash transfers to people who were unhoused. Those costs were offset within 12 months as people found housing and moved out of the shelter system. The study also found that GLBI recipients spent less money on drugs and alcohol.
Overall, GLBI programs are less costly than allowing Canadians to live in poverty and pay for themselves through reduced healthcare costs and demands on the criminal justice system. Smaller communities are revitalized because people spend the money within their community and there’s less pressures on housing in larger urban centres.
The original Canadian basic income pilot, the Mincome project (1974 to 1978), included 2,500 participants from Dauphin, MN. The research showed that most folks continued working with two distinct groups opting to stop working – women with young children who eventually went back to work and high school aged males who no longer had to quit school to help support their families.
The Mincome project also led to a reduction in violent crimes. There were 350 fewer violent crimes and 1,400 fewer total crimes per 100,000 people which translated into a 17.5 per cent reduction compared to similar towns without basic income.
The New York City study, Investigating the Effect of Social Changes on Age-Specific Gun-Related Homicide Rates in New York City During the 1990s, proved that receipt of cash assistance was associated with fewer firearm homicides for young adults between the ages of 25 to 34 years and adults 35-years of age and older.
Specifically, a 10.11 per cent increase in percentage of population receiving public assistance was associated with 10.53 fewer homicides per 100,000 for young adults and 2.9 fewer homicides per 100,000 for adults.
Alaska’s Permanent Fund Dividend provides an annual lump-sum payment to all Alaska residents and has been shown to reduce property crime by 8 per cent with no increase in violent crimes.
A systematic review showed that cash-based interventions reduce suicide, transactional and age-disparate sex for girls, intimate partner violence, and physical child maltreatment.
A recent report from the Center for Financial Inclusion shows that carefully designed cash transfers sent directly to women can help address gender inequalities and empower women and girls by enhancing their bargaining position, mobility, and economic and social status, thereby reducing the risks of intimate partner violence.
A 2021 study by the Canadian Center for Women’s Empowerment reported that 95 per cent of victims and survivors in their sample were subjected to economic abuse and financial control by their partners. Abusers frequently took out debts in their partner’s name to harm their credit scores and restrict their ability to leave the relationship.
Cash transfers have been shown to support women escaping from domestic violence by reducing stress, increasing empowerment, increasing bargaining power, and strengthening social networks.
In situations of intimate partner violence, a GLBI means women can support themselves and their children if they decide to leave. This is particularly important for women who have been prevented by their partner from working and those working minimum wage jobs.
Based on abundant evidence and the lived experiences of victims and survivors, the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls highlighted the need for a national guaranteed livable basic income in its Calls for Justice 4.5 and 16.20, as a crucial means of supporting Indigenous women and girls and preventing future harm.
Senator Pate’s Bill S-206, An Act to develop a national framework for a guaranteed livable basic income, passed first reading on May 28, 2025 and is currently in the second reading. When passed the bill will guarantee an unconditional GLBI for all persons over 17-years of age across Canada.
The non-profit UBI Works is encouraging Canadians to let their MP, Premier and local councillor know that it’s time for an unconditional universal GLBI. Over 800,000 Canadians have taken this step. Be next with just one click here.
*This article contains material provided by Senator Kim Pates office — Fact Sheet Series: Guaranteed Livable Basic Income Spend Less on Poverty, Invest More in People
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