22 Apr Proposed Guaranteed Basic Income for P.E.I.: Eradicating Poverty through Innovative Partnership

A report proposes a Guaranteed Basic Income (GBI) for Prince Edward Island (P.E.I.), aiming to eradicate poverty among working-age adults and their children through a federal-provincial partnership. The proposed benefit would be 85% of the official poverty line, benefiting families significantly. The report suggests an innovative partnership between federal and provincial systems to ensure effective delivery of the benefit. Concerns about cost are addressed by innovative modeling, suggesting the net cost to be manageable. Labor market impacts are expected to be minimal. The proposal suggests a five-to-seven-year demonstration project, allowing comprehensive evaluation before potential permanency, positioning Canada at the forefront of 21st-century social policy. Control groups would be needed for comparison, possibly in regions with similar characteristics to P.E.I. The report reflects both economic and political viability, meeting the objective of what is “possible.”

Details can be found here.