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You hear it all the time about people without money.
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"They're just lazy."
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"They should just get a job."
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The subtext is: poor people deserve to be poor.
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If they just tried harder or made better decisions, they'd make it.
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But 4.9 million Canadians live in poverty.
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Is it really what they deserve?
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The job market is like a game of musical chairs.
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And since we depend on employment to stay out of poverty,
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it's like playing over hot coals.
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Traditional 40-hour week, full-time jobs, are becoming scarce.
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Meanwhile, automation is removing chairs from the game.
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Cars can now drive themselves.
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But it's not just taxi and truck drivers who should be worried.
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It's baristas,
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lawyers,
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writers,
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accountants,
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doctors,
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musicians,
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even animators like me.
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All sorts of jobs will be done in part or entirely by machines,
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and humans just can't compete with their speed or cost.
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It should be great that we have more time,
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but the rules of the game make it an economic nightmare.
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We made these rules,
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and we have the power to change them.
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What if we all had a Basic Income?
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It would be an income sufficient to meet basic needs,
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and live with dignity, regardless of work status.
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It would reduce stress and insecurity,
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and let people focus on the work most important to them,
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and to us all.
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It would be a floor placed over the hot coals.
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Now some people worry that we give out money
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with no strings attached,
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people might stop working all together.
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Maybe they'll spend it all on drugs or alcohol,
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or just play video games all day.
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But why not look at the evidence?
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Experiments and programs providing direct cash transfers have been conducted all over the world.
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They show that as people's economic security improves,
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they continue to work.
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More start their own businesses.
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Crime rates drop.
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Health outcomes improve.
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More people finish school,
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and people are able to stay housed.
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Economists from across the political spectrum support different forms of a basic income.
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It won't solve everything,
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but it's the key to making other programs and services work better.
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When people are desperate,
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crime goes up,
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education rates drop,
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and healthcare costs rise.
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By investing in a Basic Income,
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we head off these problems before they start,
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and won't have to worry so much
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when our jobs can be done by machines.
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Please add your voice to the growing movement for Basic Income in Canada.
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and start conversations with your family,
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friends,
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colleagues,
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and elected representatives.
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It's time for a Basic Income Guarantee.