August 1st, 2018

People cannot hit the pause button on their lives: NDP

After Ford’s Conservatives announced plans to cancel the basic income pilot project already underway in several cities, including Hamilton, NDP MPP Sandy Shaw (Hamilton West-Ancaster Dundas) used question period in the legislature to stand up for low-income families, and communities that want to tackle poverty and homelessness.

The cancellation will plunge thousands of families into deeper poverty – yet the Conservative government has been sugarcoating the cancellation, saying Doug Ford is just hitting the pause button.

“It’s quite a callous comment because people cannot hit the pause button on their lives,” Shaw said. “In fact, I would suggest that it’s actually a rewind button, taking this province back decades.

Shaw shared the testimonial of a Hamiltonian, Wendy Moore, who’s life has drastically improved since joining the pilot. Moore describes no longer feeling backed into a corner, no longer being reliant on a food bank. Shaw also pointed to the anger of Hamilton poverty advocates like Tom Cooper, Director of the Hamilton Roundtable for Poverty Reduction, and low-income families who say they were sold a false bill of goods by Fords’ party during the election. Ford’s campaign repeatedly said it would not cancel the pilot program.

It was progressive conservative Hugh Segal that recommended the form the program would take – but by cancelling the pilot half-way through, Ontario will never know how this program could tackle poverty, improve lives and relieve the strain on social services, city services and the health care system.

“Why, without any evidence, is this conservative government ending the Basic Income Pilot program?”