Canadian province votes to trial Universal Basic Income

By Matthew Griffin Connected Society 9th December 2016

WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF

As technology automates more jobs governments around the world are trialling UBI as a means to potentially mitigate social unrest and increasingly inequality

In the face of growing automation which many governments and analysts believe will lead to a rapid rise in global unemployment levels a Canadian province has unanimously voted in favour of trialling a Universal Basic Income (UBI), a form of social security where all the citizens of a given state or country are guaranteed to regularly receive a sum of money in addition to the money they earn elsewhere.

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As a concept UBI is naturally controversial which is why most governments, such as Finland, Holland, Japan, Scotland, the UK and USA are taking baby steps and voting on whether or not to run limited trials.

Prince Edward Island, the smallest Canadian Province, has been described as the best choice for the pilot due to its diminutive size and clear boundaries.

According to the successful bill, every citizen will receive a basic income in an attempt to reduce or “potentially eliminate poverty in the province”.

Green Party leader in Prince Edward’s legislature, Peter Bevan Baker, proposed the motion with support of all three other parties.

“A universal basic income could enable the greatest unleashing of human potential ever seen” said Bevan Baker.

The bill stated positive effects of UBI could include improved local economic growth, supporting entrepreneurship, reduced administrative complexity and costs, improved working conditions, reduced crime, improved health, and help to build vibrant rural communities.”

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The Green Party leader has admitted there are potential drawbacks to UBI such as the overall the cost of the scheme and whether it will deter unemployed people looking for work.

“This is exactly why we need a pilot project, so we can evaluate whether the benefits outweigh the costs,” he said.

The national Canadian government will use the pilot to weigh up the benefits against the heavy costs and will lay out their plans in detail early next year.

Matthew Griffin / About Author

Described by NASA as a "Walking Encyclopaedia of the Future" and one of the world’s most in demand keynote speakers Matthew Griffin, Founder and Futurist in Chief of the 311 Institute, a global Futures and Deep Futures advisory firm, is a multi-award winning Futurist and strategic foresight expert, author, lecturer, mentor, podcast and YouTube host.

With a distinguished career running global business units at Atos, EMC, and IBM today Matthew helps leaders and titans of industry from all over the world explore the impact of the inter sections of technology, culture, and leadership, then helps them create high performance organisations that can continuously disrupt, outpace, and outthink their competition.

15 times author of the hit series the Codex of the Future series Matthew's ability to identify, track, and explain the impacts of hundreds of emerging technologies and trends on global business, culture, and society has earned him a powerful reputation and a roster of clients that include royal households, world leaders across the G7, G20, and G77, and many of the world's most recognised and exceptional organisations including ABB, Accenture, ABN Amro, Adidas, AON, ARM, BCG, Centrica, Citi Group, Coca Cola, Deloitte, Dentons, Disney, Dow, EY, Google, KPMG, Lego, Microsoft, Legal & General, LinkedIn, Nokia, Paramount, PepsiCo, PWC, Qualcomm, RWE, Samsung, T-Mobile, UBS, Visa, WIRED, WPP and hundreds of others.

Matthew is regularly featured in the global media including the AP, BBC, Bloomberg, CNBC, Discovery, Forbes, Khaleej Times, Telegraph, TIME, ViacomCBS, WIRED, and the WSJ, and his mission is to help organisations create a fair and sustainable future whose benefits are shared by everyone irrespective of their ability, background, or circumstances.