The election for the 43rd Parliament of Ontario is officially on and at stake is which party will govern our province and determine the next four years of Basic Income policy. 

• The Progressive Conservatives have no public position on the matter, letting instead their broken promise and subsequent cancellation of the Ontario Basic Income Pilot speak for itself. 

• The New Democrats and Liberals have respectively promised to “restart” and “resume” the Pilot.

• While the Green Party remains committed to moving towards a Basic Income Guarantee for all Ontarians. 

With no party offering a concrete path or commitment to actually enact a Basic Income we must instead put our faith and efforts into electing candidates who have pledged to actively support the establishment of a Basic Income such as Mary Rita Holland, the NDP candidate for Kingston and the Islands who said she will,

"work to ensure everyone can have their basic needs met through advocating for a Basic Income Guarantee at the federal level..." 

Or candidates like Kyle Hutton, running for the Green Party in Burlington, who says, 

“...GLI/UBI is intrinsic to a fair Ontario, and as [a] candidate and MPP I pledge to make it a reality.”

Or Greg Dempsey, the Liberal candidate for Peterborough—Kawartha who, in his pledge said,

“I have a strong commitment to the provision of a guaranteed basic income, it’s the singular policy reason that drove me to seek the nomination.”

Elected Basic Income champions have spearheaded advocacy federally, introducing legislation to drive the debate forward and putting more pressure on the government to act. To elect such Members in Ontario, we must come together and engage in the democratic process as this movement never has before. There is only one way to elect someone: we must convince enough of our neighbours that these candidates and their policies are more worthy of their vote than any other. 

So what do you need to do?

1. Check if a Candidate in your riding has taken the pledge. You can see the whole list here.

• It’s still early, so if none have, use this tool to email your candidates and urge them to take the pledge

• Check back in a few days or skip to step 3.

2. Select a candidate in your riding who has taken the pledge and best represents your values, and work to elect them. 

• On this page you will find the websites of each of the candidates. There you can find information about how you can contribute to their campaigns: answer phones, knock on doors, drive people to their polling stations, etc.

3. Attend the Basic Income March Toronto on Saturday May 14th, 1 PM at Queen’s Park and show the whole province why Basic Income matters.

• Register here to reserve your Basic Income Sign at the march.

4. Get involved in your local riding.

• Order a Basic Income Now lawn sign to inspire your fellow voter.

• Write your local newspaper editor, asking them to cover Basic Income.

• Attend a local debate and ask your candidates if and how they will enact a Basic Income.

The course of the next four weeks will determine the outcomes of the next four years. Which steps will you take to ensure the future of Ontario includes a Basic Income?

Basic Income Now

Basic Income Now actions to take during the Ontario election: buy merch; meet-up; march on May 14; get a sign; pressure your candidates!