Archive for the ‘Social Security’ Category

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Welfare in Canada update (2020)

Saturday, November 21st, 2020

The report looks at how welfare incomes varied across every province and territory for four example households in 2019: Single person considered employable; Single person with a disability; Single parent with one child age two; and Couple with two children ages 10 and 15… Even where welfare incomes were highest, they fell short of the poverty threshold… 37 of the 40 scenario households receiving social assistance in the provinces were living in deep poverty

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Social assistance: Do higher benefit levels lead to higher caseloads?

Tuesday, November 3rd, 2020

Do higher social assistance benefit levels lead to greater take-up? The short answer is yes, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t increase benefit levels… There are many positive outcomes associated with higher social assistance benefit levels. Having said that, when policymakers decide to increase benefit levels, they should budget for some increased take-up.

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People with disabilities deserve a basic income

Monday, October 26th, 2020

It’s time to treat people with disabilities with respect instead of paternalism and to address the inadequacies of the current system. The proposed federal Disability Benefit is an opportunity to do better. Will it measure up to a basic income? Let’s hope so.

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A Federal Basic Income Within The Post Covid-19 Economic Recovery Plan

Friday, October 23rd, 2020

… the federal government should announce its intention to: Introduce a Basic Income Guarantee close to the Market Basket Measure, paid monthly, to residents of Canada between the ages of 18 and 64; Design the Basic Income Guarantee so that those with no income would receive the full benefit, but those with other sources of income would receive a benefit reduced by a proportion of their other income; …

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Basic income would be the biggest reordering of public finance in a generation

Wednesday, September 16th, 2020

… the question of how it would be paid for (the UBI Works page on suggested tax increases to fund a UBI is eye-opening, in multiple senses of the phrase). One point that is worth dwelling on early in the discussion is what a UBI would mean for a pretty fundamental element of Canadian politics: the balance between federal and provincial spending.

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Canada needs a national income program for people with disabilities

Saturday, September 5th, 2020

With [CERB], imbalances and biases in income security decisions were starkly exposed. Governments clearly expected people with disabilities to live on disability income benefits (such as the Canada Pension Plan Disability and provincial social assistance) of an amount… of half or less than the $2,000 a month provided by the CERB… If anything, should those people not receive slightly more than their peers?

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Tinkering with EI leaves the core problems unresolved

Wednesday, September 2nd, 2020

Like the Guaranteed Income Supplement for Canadian residents over the age of 65, which tops up anyone with a monthly income of less than $1,500, we have the capacity to protect those between ages 18 and 64 from living in or falling into poverty, working poor or otherwise. Tinkering at the edges or succumbing to the chimera of evasive incrementalism will solve none of the fundamental problems that were starkly revealed by the pandemic.

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Liberals ease EI eligibility as part of $37-billion in new emergency income supports

Thursday, August 20th, 2020

The new Canada Recovery Benefit is for workers who are self-employed or are not eligible for EI and cannot resume work. The Canada Recovery Sickness Benefit is for workers who are ill or who must self-isolate for reasons related to COVID-19. The Canada Recovery Caregiving Benefit is for workers who are unable to work because they are caring for a child, dependent or family member because schools or daycares are closed due to COVID-19.

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Policy reflections about social assistance: Where we’ve been, and where we’re going

Wednesday, August 19th, 2020

We will need to think differently about social policy, so that our social safety net puts people and their social and economic rights at the centre. We need to rebuild our systems to promote equitable outcomes across race, gender, immigration status, disability, and for every person in Canada. Now’s the time to show that we truly are in all of this together.

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Poverty reduction central to building back better

Monday, August 17th, 2020

While the pandemic has laid bare many pre-existing inequities, it has also created an opportunity to reimagine and rebuild our social infrastructure… Given that unpaid care work is a source of women’s marginalization and poverty, we believe a basic income program will support women on low and fixed incomes in particular.

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