National Plan for Guaranteed Basic Income

Summary#

This bill would require the federal Minister of Finance to develop a national framework for a guaranteed livable basic income (GLBI). It does not create any cash benefits. It sets consultation rules, core elements the framework must include, and timelines for reporting to Parliament (s.3–5). The goal is to guide how a future GLBI could work across Canada.

• Applies to “any person over the age of 17,” including temporary workers, permanent residents, and refugee claimants (s.3(1)).
• Requires broad consultations with federal, provincial, and Indigenous partners, and experts (s.3(2)).
• Requires regional definitions of a “livable” income and national standards for complementary health and social supports (s.3(3)(a)-(b)).
• States that no work, training, or schooling requirement can be a condition to qualify in the framework (s.3(3)(c)).
• Protects existing disability- and health-related supports from being reduced if a GLBI is implemented (s.3(3)(d)).
• Sets reporting deadlines: a framework report within 1 year of coming into force, public posting within 10 days after tabling, and ongoing reviews every year after a 2-year interval (s.4–5).

What it means for you#

• Households

  • No new payments or eligibility changes now. The bill only creates a plan and reporting schedule (s.3–5).
  • If a GLBI is later created under this framework, work or school would not be required to qualify (s.3(3)(c)). Timing and benefit levels would depend on future laws or agreements. Data unavailable.

• Workers and students

  • No immediate change to wages, taxes, or student aid.
  • The framework must define what a “livable” income means in each region, which could shape any future benefit levels (s.3(3)(a)). Data unavailable.

• Temporary workers, permanent residents, and refugee claimants

  • The framework must include you in eligibility design (s.3(1)). This does not guarantee future payments; it sets policy direction only.

• People with disabilities and people with significant health needs

  • The framework must ensure that any future GLBI does not reduce services or benefits that meet exceptional disability or health needs (s.3(3)(d)).

• Provinces, territories, and Indigenous governing bodies

  • You would be consulted on design, standards, and implementation guidance (s.3(2), s.3(3)(b)).
  • The framework would “guide the implementation” of any GLBI in every province, implying coordination with existing programs (s.3(3)(b)).

• Federal government and service users

  • Minister of Finance must table the framework in Parliament within 1 year after the Act comes into force and post it online within 10 days after tabling in both Houses (s.4).
  • Within 2 years after that report is tabled, and every year after, the Minister must review effectiveness and table annual findings and recommendations (s.5).

Expenses#

Estimated net cost: Data unavailable.

• No fiscal note identified. Data unavailable.
• The bill contains no appropriations or specific funding amounts (s.3–5).
• It mandates consultations, report preparation, and annual reviews, which have administrative costs. Amounts are not stated. Data unavailable.

Proponents' View#

• A national framework is a necessary first step to coordinate standards across governments and avoid patchwork programs (s.3(2), s.3(3)(b)).
• Requiring regional definitions of a “livable” income makes future design sensitive to local costs of living (s.3(3)(a)).
• Explicitly removing work or school requirements supports access for caregivers, students, and people between jobs (s.3(3)(c)).
• Protecting disability- and health-related supports reduces the risk that a future GLBI would replace targeted services people rely on (s.3(3)(d)).
• Time-bound reporting and public posting increase transparency and accountability for Parliament and the public (s.4–5).
• The preamble states potential benefits such as reducing poverty and improving health and education outcomes, which motivates creating the framework (Preamble).

Opponents' View#

• The bill does not include a cost estimate, funding plan, or tax changes; critics may see this as committing to scope without fiscal details (s.3–5). Data unavailable.
• By stating no work or training requirement, the bill narrows design options some provinces or stakeholders might prefer, such as partial work conditions (s.3(3)(c)).
• Defining a “livable” income for every region is complex and could create uneven expectations or disputes about adequacy and affordability (s.3(3)(a)).
• Overlap with existing provincial and territorial programs poses coordination risks; the bill does not spell out how to align or consolidate benefits (s.3(3)(b)).
• Timelines may be challenging if consultations with multiple governments, Indigenous bodies, and experts are extensive, risking delays or a high-level framework with few specifics (s.3(2), s.4–5).