A discussion about a basic income

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The CCPA-BC is proud to present, in partnership with the Vancouver School of Economics at UBC, the 2019 Annual Gideon Rosenbluth Memorial Lecture. David Green will discuss a “basic income” as a policy option for British Columbia.

In an era of high inequality, continuing poverty, homelessness and housing issues, and concerns about the impact of new technologies on work, there is an appetite for considering radical policy shifts. In that context, a basic income has received a lot of attention across the policy discussion spectrum. It has been promoted as a policy tool that can help eliminate poverty, and which can also play a central role in restructuring society and the role of labour within it.

The question this lecture will consider is, “Is it the right policy for BC now?”

David Green—a member of the BC government’s panel looking into a basic income—will first provide some background on trends in the economy that are related to the call for a basic income, and will describe the different forms a basic income will take, specify potential goals for it, and describe some of the cost and other practicalities. Following David’s talk we’ll hear some thoughts from members of different local communities about what a basic income in BC could mean, followed by a discussion with the audience about how they see a basic income—both its potential and its problems.

Participants include: 

• Margot Young (Allard School of Law at UBC) ▾

  Margot Young is Professor at the Allard School of Law at UBC, and Visiting International Professor at the Faculty of Law, University of Gothenburg, Sweden. She teaches and writes in the areas of constitutional law, equality rights and theory, social welfare policy, and economic and social rights.

• Chuka Ejeckam (BC Federation of Labour) ▾

  Chuka Ejeckam is the Director of Research and Policy at the BC Federation of Labour, and a research associate with the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives’ BC Office. His work focuses on labour policy, issues surrounding the changing world of work, political and economic inequality, and issues of racial and structural inequity. He has also conducted research focused on drug policy, the question of reparations for drug prohibition, and issues of racial inequity surrounding the legalization of cannabis.

• Trish Garner (BC Poverty Coalition) ▾

  Trish Garner is a passionate advocate for social justice. Having gained her experience working with Raise the Rates, an anti-poverty group based in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver, she is now the Community Organizer of the BC Poverty Reduction Coalition, a broad-based network of over 400 organizations throughout BC. She is the co-author of A Poverty Reduction Plan for BC and a regular media contributor and commentator.

  Trish graduated from SFU with a PhD from the Department of Gender, Sexuality and Women’s Studies in 2011. Originally from England, she now lives in Vancouver with her partner and their three children.

Advance ticket sales are now closed for this event. A limited number of tickets will be available at the door on a first come, first served basis. Tickets are $5, but no one will be turned away for lack of funds.  

About Gideon Rosenbluth

Gideon Rosenbluth was a long-time research associate with the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives and a highly respected member of the UBC economics department, and the economics community in Canada and around the world. His rigorous approach to scholarship and community involvement was guided by his commitment to social justice. Among his many roles, he was president of the Canadian Association of University Teachers and president of the Canadian Economics Association. In honour of Gideon, the CCPA and the Vancouver School of Economics at UBC are pleased to host the annual Gideon Rosenbluth Memorial Lecture.