Hugh Segal on Guaranteed Income 

Millions have been relying on the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) these past few months. This has been an extraordinary response to an extraordinary time. But people concerned about fighting poverty are looking to draw lessons from the pandemic for the future. Discussion is growing around the creation of a universal basic income for Canadians.

This episode, the late Honourable Hugh Segal, Canadian political strategist, author, commentator, academic, and former senator, joins us to talk about a guaranteed basic income for Canadians. Hugh has touted guaranteed basic income as a way to break families out of poverty for decades.

We talk about experiments with basic income from the past and the lessons he hopes we learn from programs created during the pandemic. Can governments seize this opportunity for leadership and create a new approach to helping the poor in Canada?

What do our economists have to say about universal basic income? Find out in Ask an economist. 

The Late Honourable Hugh Segal

Canadian political strategist, author, commentator, academic, and former senator