Ottawa Basic Income Rally on September 19, 2024
September 13, 2024
The Ottawa Basic Income Team is organizing a Rally on Parliament Hill to remind Parliamentarians of the urgent need for courageous action to combat poverty in the city and across Canada. Introducing a national Guaranteed Liveable Basic Income (GLBI) for Canadians living below the poverty line is key to an inclusive and prosperous Canada. Please come, join us and invite others.
- When: September 19, starting at 9:30 am
- Where: meeting at the West Block of Parliament, near the corner of Bank and Wellington Streets
We will meet Parliamentarians, as they proceed to the House, to quietly protest lack of action since our previous Rally in September 2022.
As well, we will remind them of the Senate Report over a half a century ago which stated poverty was a cancer in our society that had no place in a country as wealthy as Canada.
The Rallly coincides with the Second Reading of Bill 223, proposing the development of a Framework for a GLBI. The Framework is to provide updated information on the options, costs, and how a GLBI can be best financed. This work is necessary for Parliamentarians to better understand why a GLBI is economically desirable and have the information needed to design a GLBI as an essential foundation to eliminate poverty and improve the well being of all Canadians.
The Rally also coincides with the 17th annual International Basic Income Week , from 16 to 22 September. The theme this year is “Basic Income, the foundation for a fair and just society”.
More and more Canadians are demanding that a GLBI be implemented in line with our commitment to the International Sustainable Goal of reducing poverty. Our goal to reduce poverty 50% by 2030 is not a target to be proud of. We can do better! There is growing evidence of the social and economic costs of poverty, shown most dramatically by the increasing number of people experiencing mental stress, homelessness, and food insecurity. In spite of this, governments are ignoring the facts to take the bold action desperately needed now. There is a large body of evidence that a Basic Income is a logical and proven social and economic tool to tackle this crisis.
Come on the 19th and show your concern for action. Let us remind Parliamentarians that elections are not far off, and commitments, not words, are required. If you have questions, please contact Wil Roberson (wilhrd@outlook.com) or Joe Foster (bijoef@gmail.com).
We need a Basic Income now!