441-02012 (Social affairs and equality)

The Government of Canada is taking crucial steps to help make life more affordable for more Canadians, while investing to grow the economy and create jobs.  

Income security is a shared responsibility across all orders of government. The federal Government recognizes the importance of working with provinces and territories to address issues regarding affordability for Canadians.

This petition calls for the Government of Canada to negotiate with the Government of Prince Edward Island to develop and implement a Basic Income Guarantee demonstration program for Prince Edward Island. If the province of Prince Edward Island decides to proceed with a basic income pilot, the Government of Canada would be pleased to collaborate and could potentially share federal-level administrative, survey, and tax data that could support program design and evaluation.

The Government of Canada has already implemented programs that address some elements of a partial basic income, such as the Canada Child Benefit for families with children, and the Old Age Security pension and the Guaranteed Income Supplement for seniors. These and other initiatives have contributed to progress on lifting Canadians out of poverty. These programs complement provincial and territorial programs, including those that deliver social assistance.

In addition, recent budgets introduced several measures that will help to reduce poverty and inequality. For example, Budget 2023 made significant investments to build a healthier Canada and deliver affordable dental care, including $13 billion over five years, and $4.4 billion ongoing, to implement the Canada Dental Care Plan.  

The Government is also working with provincial, territorial and Indigenous partners to build a Canada-wide, community-based early learning child care system. The federal government is providing provinces and territories with significant funding to support substantial reductions to families for the cost of regulated child care spaces.

The Government of Canada also undertakes research and analysis on potential basic income programs and other approaches that could positively impact Canada’s economy and society, as part of its efforts to tackle poverty and to ensure that all Canadians have a real and fair opportunity to succeed.