Key to basic income is public commitment to income floor

Re The Saturday Debate: Is it time to bury the idea of a

universal basic income? Feb. 13

Both sides in the debate acknowledge that all Canadians must have access to strong public services such as health care and education. Neither supports income transfers that expect Canadians to go to the marketplace for these essential services.

So the real issue with basic income is a public commitment to an adequate income floor below which no one should fall when factoring in all income sources.

A range of income support programs can provide universal coverage without being uniform in delivery as the recent B.C. study indicates. Highly diverse needs by age, gender, (dis)ability, family status, education, employment status, etc. suggest that income supports should be tailored to a wide variety of living circumstances within our population.

Peter Clutterbuck, Toronto