Mr. Speaker, Mahatma Gandhi is quoted as saying that a nation’s greatness is measured by how it treats its weakest members.
As parliamentarians, we have an opportunity and an obligation to take bold action to address income inequality in Canada. Day after day, we squabble in this place over who is at fault for the state of health care, food insecurity, criminality and low productivity, but at the root of all these challenges is one common denominator: poverty.
In Prince Edward Island, the legislature unanimously passed a resolution calling for a province-wide basic income guarantee demonstration project. Coalition Canada convened a working group to design a feasible and progressive program and published a comprehensive report on how it could work.
Today, advocates for the proposal are here in Ottawa. I want to thank them for their tireless dedication to ending poverty. I also thank the members from all parties who have met with them to learn more about this initiative, one that has the potential to become a true nation-building project for Canada.