PEI guaranteed basic income trial
Petitioners ask the Government of Canada to work with PEI to develop and implement a guaranteed basic income demonstration administered, monitored and evaluated for at least five years. The government responds it will share federal data through the Canada–PEI working group, cite existing partial basic‑income programs, and monitor research.
Why we would sign this petition
- It would fund a multi‑year trial to measure whether a guaranteed basic income reduces poverty and its health effects, producing evidence to guide policy.
- A five‑year, provincially focused demonstration lets researchers test administration, monitoring and evaluation methods before wider rollout.
- Positive results could inform federal–provincial cooperation and scalable policy options to address income insecurity nationally.
Why we wouldn’t sign this petition
- A single‑province pilot may not generalize to other regions, limiting usefulness for national policy decisions.
- Costs and trade‑offs with existing federal and provincial programs could be high, requiring clear fiscal and program design choices.
- Existing federal benefits already include partial basic‑income features, so improving current programs might be a more effective alternative.
The summary and both sets of reasons are AI-generated from the petition and given equal weight. Claims are the petitioners’ own; consult the official record for the full text.
Official petition
Petition to the Government of Canada WHEREAS: In November 2020, the final report of the Prince Edward Island Special Committee on Poverty in PEI, supported by all political parties, recommended that the Government of Prince Edward Island begin immediate negotiations with the Government of Canada to develop and implement a Basic Income Guarantee demonstration program for Prince Edward Island; and In November 2023, a report entitled A Proposal for a Guaranteed Basic Income Benefit in Prince Edward Island was released, providing a roadmap for a financially feasible guaranteed basic income demonstration project for 18- to 64-year-olds that would significantly reduce poverty within the province. This demonstration program would benefit all of Canada, as poverty is the primary social determinant of heath and requires bold and creative approaches to understand and address its root causes and consequences in Canada. This demonstration program would offer a unique opportunity to study the management and impact of a guaranteed basic income. THEREFORE, we, the undersigned citizens and residents of Canada, call upon the Government of Canada to work with the Government of Prince Edward Island to develop and implement a guaranteed basic income demonstration program in the province of PEI that will be administered, monitored, and evaluated for at least five years, guided by the framework set forth in the 2020 and 2023 reports.
Government response
Response by the Minister of Jobs and Families and Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario Signed by Annie Koutrakis The Government of Canada acknowledges that income security is a shared responsibility across all levels of government. As such, the federal Government recognizes the importance of working with provinces and territories to address common challenges. With regard to the federal role on Prince Edward Island’s (PEI) Guaranteed Basic Income Demonstration Project, Employment and Social Development Canada has been collaborating and intends to continue to do so in the existing Canada-PEI information exchange working group responsible for and identifying relevant federal-level administrative, survey and tax data that may inform PEI’s program design and evaluation of a guaranteed basic income model. It is important to note that several existing federal programs already incorporate features of a partial basic income. This includes the Canada Child Benefit for families raising children; the Old Age Security pension and the Guaranteed Income Supplement for Canadian seniors; and the Canada Disability Benefit for persons with disabilities. These programs exist alongside provincial and territorial programs, including social assistance. The Government will continue to monitor research and analysis on basic income and will continue to explore potential shorter and longer-term policy responses to address the needs of Canadians.