|
February 26, 2002
Working Conference on Strategies
to Ensure Economic Security for All Canadians
Friday January 31st and Saturday February 1st, 2003
The Basic Income/Canada Network and the Canadian Council on Social Development (CCSD) co-hosted a working conference on economic security for Canadians at the Informetrica offices in Ottawa. The goal of this conference was to bring together a variety of interests, backgrounds and opinions for a discussion on a possible new policy architectures on income security. Participants included academics and economists, income security advocates, members of non profit and social policy research organizations, as well as individuals with lived experiences of poverty. John Anderson, Vice-President, Research CCSD and Sally Lerner, University of Waterloo emerita professor, co-facilitated the discussion.
In the introductory session, Sally Lerner of the Basic Income Network noted that a major challenge lies in how a secure economic foundation can be created for the increasing numbers of 'flexible' workers demanded by employers. Ken Battle, President of the Caledon Institute, outlined some of the work his organization was engaged in and presented the major findings of a new study on the minimum wage. John Anderson presented the efforts of the CCSD in trying to help develop a new social policy architecture coming out of its work within the voluntary sector over the past few years. Participants discussed how policies could work across the life cycle, affecting the three major life periods of childhood and youth, working age and older age.
A number of 'lessons learned' from previous experiences were presented:
Douglas House, Professor of Sociology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, and Chair of the Economic Recovery Commission from 1989 to 1996, presented insights on his extensive work trying to implement a new system of income security in Newfoundland. Derek Hum of the University of Manitoba, talked about his work as Research Director of Mincome Manitoba. This multi-million dollar, multi-year project, jointly funded by Canada and Manitoba in the 1970s, was designed to evaluate the economic and administrative consequences of a guaranteed annual income system. The focus of the project was on the work responses of families and individuals to a negative income tax plan. Mike McCracken, CEO of Informetrica, detailed proposals for a basic income for each stage of the life cycle. Armine Yalnizyan, Research Associate form the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, emphasized the need to develop high quality social programs and the crucial relationship of these to income security. John Stapleton, from St. Christopher's House in Toronto, and former Ontario government civil servant, gave invaluable insights into the debates around some of the existing programs. Josephine Grey from the Income Security Advocacy Centre talked about the “Pay the Rent and Feed the Kids Campaign” in Ontario.
Participants raised many important questions regarding governments' responsibilities in providing basic income security, as well as social services and resources, to all citizens. They debated the feasibility of initiating new programs or restructuring existing ones. All participants made important contributions to discussions on the relationship between economic security and human rights, and ways to erase the negative stigma of the current welfare system. They also discussed ways of connecting income security with accessibility to important social programs such as adequate and affordable housing, healthcare (including supplementary health benefits), childcare, post secondary education and training.
While many diverse views were represented, all agreed that the current welfare system fails to offer low income Canadians dignity and the means necessary to have an acceptable quality of life, and that major change is needed.
More information about the conference and its participants can be found by contacting:
Sally Lerner, University of Waterloo, lerner@watserv1.uwaterloo.ca
John Anderson, Canadian Council on Social Development, anderson@ccsd.ca
Information on basic income and economic security is located at the:
Basic Income European Network (www.basicincome.org)
Or, Basic Income / Canada (www.basicincomecanada.org)
|
