
BIBC has launched a petition asking BC Minister of Social Development and Poverty Reduction Nicholas Simons to enter into discussions with the federal government to create a new national livable basic income guarantee (BIG) for every adult of working-age who needs it, regardless of work status.
Until we have a national livable BIG many of us in BC will continue to be left behind living in poverty. We need a renewed social safety net for the 21st century that includes both income security and the social supports and services we each need. We are facing turbulent times: climate change; energy transition; employment transition; racism and discrimination; vast income inequality; deep poverty; pandemics; an opioid crisis and food insecurity. Any one of us can fall into poverty at any time. To successfully adapt to all of the challenges of the 21st century, we need a social safety net that will catch not just some of us – but all of us. We each deserve to live with sufficient income and the supports and services we need to live with dignity.