Women in qathet Regional District, which includes City of Powell River, hung a banner at the corner of Alberni Street and Marine Avenue on May 1, reading #WomenDemand Guaranteed Livable Income (GLI).
In a media release, Drena McCormack, a qathet region resident, stated: “Women make up the majority of the people who would benefit most from GLI: low wage workers, people with disabilities and single parents. Like the child tax benefit, this one piece of legislation would make a world of difference towards eliminating poverty altogether in this country.”
McCormack stated that the banner dropping is part of a province-wide action led by BC Women’s Alliance. On May 1, women dropped banners demanding guaranteed livable income across BC including Vancouver, Victoria, Kelowna, Prince George, Galiano Island and Nelson.
The release stated that currently, there are two federal bills being debated in the Canadian parliament. These include bill S-233 at the senate and bill C-223 in the House of Commons. Both bills are calling for development of a national framework for a guaranteed livable basic income that will be developed in consultation with representatives of the provincial governments.
BC Women’s Alliance is calling on MPs from BC constituencies to support the bills so they become law, and on the BC provincial government to cooperate with the consultation process until the desired national framework is achieved, according to the release.
While the terms guaranteed livable income, universal basic income (UBI), and guaranteed annual income are often used interchangeably, BC Women’s Alliance is calling for a GLI that will allow all individuals residing in Canada an adequate and dignified standard of living.
