HOC February 2, 2022

2022-02-02

On February 2, 2022 the following discussion happened in the House of Commons over Basic Income (Guaranteed Livable Basic Income).

Leah Gazan (Winnipeg Centre)

[^S-124] 16:21 , Consideration Request

Mr. Speaker, I want to point out that the pandemic is not over and people are struggling, yet his party has fought consistently to claw back support to individuals, including calling to abolish the CERB. We know rent is going up and we know groceries are going up, and we know that support is not coming and people are ending up on the streets, including seniors who had clawbacks to their GIS.

I wonder if the member's concern extends to ensuring people continue to get the support they need and whether he would consider implementing instead a permanent guaranteed livable basic income for all.

Greg McLean (Calgary Centre)

[^S-125] 16:22 , Unsupportive

Mr. Speaker, I am not a fan of a guaranteed basic income. I am a fan, frankly, of making sure that our monetary base stays relevant. As we inflate that monetary base, we effectively devalue the spending power of the money that people have. By devaluing that spending power, we are actually hurting the people who have to spend that money on basic goods. We should get ahead of it. If we do not debase the currency, we will not have to do more spending later.