Livable Basic Needs Benefit
We are collaborating with Make Poverty History Manitoba on a joint campaign calling on the provincial government to introduce a new Livable Basic Needs Benefit, replacing existing Employment and Income Assistance (EIA) benefits.
The new benefit, which should be part of a comprehensive plan to address poverty, should be set at a level to cover the actual cost of basic needs such as food, clothing, communications and transportation. The proposed benefit would be sufficient, when combined with other federal and provincial income supports, to lift all Manitobans to at least the poverty line.
Our Vision
We believe all residents of Canada should have an unconditional and sufficient income to live a life with human dignity, equity and wellbeing.
Mission
Our mission is to achieve a basic income through education, community-building, policy research and advocacy.
Education: Sharing knowledge about basic income and its benefits by engaging Manitobans in discussions of basic income through various means of communications, including mainstream and social media.
Community-building: Developing and maintaining relationships with community partners and people with lived experience.
Policy Research: Contributing to public policy analysis on basic income.
Advocacy: Non-partisan political action to implement basic income as public policy in Manitoba.
Values
We strive to be diverse, accessible, collaborative, action-oriented, and inclusive, especially of people with lived experience of poverty.
What We Stand For
Basic Income Manitoba envisions a society in which each individual lives with sufficient income for basic needs, health, and social participation. Our guiding principles are:
- The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms states that every person has the right to life, liberty, and security of the person (s. 7) and to equality (s. 15). These rights cannot be exercised in poverty.
- The elimination of poverty in Canada is an essential objective of society that need not be associated with charity.
- Poverty is a human tragedy, not a natural one, and can be eliminated by ensuring that all individuals have access to basic necessities through a basic income.
- A basic income must not reduce benefits related to disability or other equality needs and must not be regarded as a substitute for essential services.
- Basic Income Manitoba advocates moving from income support to income guarantee.