Thank you for re-opening a dialog on guaranteed income in your August 17 Yukon News editorial.
As you argued, a guaranteed income is an efficient way to address gross income disparities. It is also an example of social policy that respects human dignity, wherein everyone deserves to have their basic needs met.
Conservative Senator Hugh Segal suggested the Yukon could set an example for the nation by implementing a guaranteed income at the Social Inclusion and Poverty Reduction symposium in April of 2010.
When people aren’t struggling to feed and house themselves and their families, they have more free time and energy to spend on recreation, civic engagement and participation in the arts à all indicators of social inclusion.
The Yukon Anti-Poverty Coalition is looking forward to the guaranteed income proposal being part of the territorial election discussion this fall.
Julianna Scramstad
Yukon Anti-Poverty Coalition