An overwhelming majority of MPs and other political cretins happened to vote for Universal Basic Income. 491-85 in favour. They even talked about it in their recent conferences. People are clamoring for a chance at a higher standard of living. A safety net that can keep people from going into abject poverty. A chance to do what they REALLY want to do rather than work dead-end fucking shit jobs, or keep afloat while various job markets fluctuate as they always do under (mostly) unfettered capitalism.
So frustrated, but here goes...
The budget is being doled out today and UBI is nowhere to be found. Yeah, a no-strings-attached basic income would cost somewhere around $85 billion annually. That's a lot. But think of all the people spending money in this country. Think of all the people lifted out of homelessness. Think of people being able to leverage their employment situations to their benefit by holding out for a better opportunity instead of going for whatever happens to be available because of desperation.
Based on a 2013 study (it has definitely gone up since then but I can't find more recent information), poverty costs the country up to 89$ billion a year. With the pandemic and several provinces hurting economically (particularly Alberta, regardless of the pandemic), that figure would have to be considerably higher). Just going by the 2013 number (found here: https://evidencenetwork.ca/poverty-costs-canada-billions-of-dollars-every-year/), implementing an annual UBI would cost less than not doing it at all.
Look at the findings found here (https://cwp-csp.ca/poverty/the-cost-of-poverty/):
- "For example, a recent report from Ontario states that poverty costs the government (in collaboration with the federal government) between $10.4 billion and $13.1 billion a year."
- "Nova Scotia recently declared that poverty costs the province (including governmental, societal, and individual costs) $2.4 billion per year."
- "Saskatchewan pays up to $3.8 billion per year on poverty as a whole, including $2.6 billion in absent taxes and contributions to the GDP."
- "In British Columbia, the government spends between $8.1 and $9.2 billion on poverty."
UBI can dramatically decrease ALL OF THIS! WHY IS THIS SUCH A FUCKING ISSUE!?
Oh and no increase to the GST is on the horizon. Oh no, Garrett is advocating for a tax increase! Well, those are for Goods & Services; you know, sales taxes and the like. You buy something, and a tax is added. Buy a cup of coffee at (god forbid) Timmy's, and GST goes back to our public offices. Even a 1-3% increase would produce much more money that would go toward the programs that money is meant to fund. Or at the very least, they should, right? Oh and a slightly increased GST cheque for low-income Canadians would occur, too. It would offset a bit more of the losses from funding UBI. But it would also pay for itself over time (not the same fiscal year as implementation, mind).
To quote:
"Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had previously signalled his lack of enthusiasm for UBI, stating that the costly program is not at the top of his list amid the COVID-19 pandemic.“Obviously COVID has exposed weaknesses in our country where vulnerable people are continuing to slip through the cracks,” he told reporters when pressed about the program in recent weeks.“We will have conversations about next steps as well but our focus is very much on what we need to do to control COVID-19.”Trudeau’s sentiment transferred into the budget document, which makes no mention of the program."
For more of that, read the following: https://globalnews.ca/news/7770067/canada-budget-2021-whats-missing-liberal-federal/
Yeah, yeah, I know it's Global, but they're the only ones RIGHT NOW that have an article about this half-rate budget that's being released TODAY.
Nothing on pharmacare, either. Yes, the NDP tried to push a federal solution rather than a provincial one, and that one crashed and burned. They still harp on that loss, but they're just being obtuse as to why it failed to pass.
No wealth tax. Yeah, the fucking rich have gotten OBSCENELY RICHER through this damned pandemic, and the Liberals won't take advantage of that goldmine? Holy shit man, and people probably wonder why I don't really like the Liberals, either. They're just a less ruthless flavour of Neoliberal as far as I am concerned.
Back to the subject, the only thing the Liberals are willing to do is implement a tax on the sales of superfluous goodies like yachts, personal jets, and other crazy shit the rich sometimes buy (and then sell or default on when they lose their precious bounty). Oh boy, that's not going to be exploitable at all...
I'll give it to them this, and only this: even though there's no mention of any of these things in the budget, particularly UBI, doesn't mean it won't see further discussion or even consideration. It has such overwhelming support that the Liberals would be committing political suicide to not even consider implementing it at all. Another instance of the Liberals reneging on a promise. The Conservatives are even worse than that, but that's a given because that's always the case. With the Liberals, it's far more frustrating.
I won't vote for a fucking party that seems to have their heads up their asses. They think they're invincible. THIS IS WHY I DON'T LIKE MAJORITY GOVERNMENTS!
Feckless...milquetoast...inconsistent...smug...
Now does anyone understand why I don't like BOTH the Liberals AND the treacherous CON(job)servatives? Such a missed opportunity. Such a bold-faced example of "playing it safe." Shitty priorities! To think that neither of the alternatives are viable (or in the case of the pathetic "People's Party of Canada", not even worth a vote). So frustrating and disappointing.
Fucking DOLTS!!!
