A Basic Income for Alberta

Much of the recent commentary surrounding basic income centres on the changing nature of work, advancing basic income as a possible response to increasing levels of insecure, part-time and temporary employment, labour market restructuring, and job loss due to automation. [...] In order to gain a deeper understanding of the impacts of basic income for Alberta, we explore some of the theoretical and practical consequences of basic income plans for equity, diversity, and inclusion issues. [...] Forget argues for a relatively generous federal basic income followed by a provincial roll-out that would cost a total of $23 billion—approximately the cost of the Canada Child Benefit (2018).2 Similarly, Simpson and Stevens outline how a combined federal and provincial basic income based on converting non-refundable tax 2 Forget proposes a basic income amount of credits to refundable tax credits [...] Basic Income: a social safety net, or income floor intended to cover The Basic Income Canada Network (BICN) prefers the term basic income basic needs (occasionally referred to as a Basic Income Guarantee). [...] London: Adam Smith Institute, 2. capitalism through establishing basic income proliferate on the political 5 The Inquiry specifically frames their call for right, advocating for a basic income that “masks the symptoms of economic basic income as a “livable income” intended to recognize a right to income security.