Members of All-Party Committee on Basic Income Holds First Meeting

  • Children, Seniors and Social Development

December 12, 2022

An All-Party Committee on Basic Income has been established in response to the provincial and national discussion on a basic income and following a private member’s motion supported by all members of the House of Assembly on November 3, 2021. The committee will review basic income models and approaches and assess the viability and potential for reducing poverty in Newfoundland and Labrador.

The first meeting of the All-Party Committee on Basic Income took place on Thursday, November 24, 2022. The committee is being chaired by the Honourable John G. Abbott, Minister of Children, Seniors and Social Development. Other committee members include:

  • Honourable Bernard Davis, Minister Responsible for Labour;
  • Sherry Gambin-Walsh, MHA for the District of Placentia-St. Mary’s;
  • Craig Pardy, MHA for the District of Bonavista; and
  • Jim Dinn, Interim Leader of the Third Party and MHA for the District of St. John’s Centre.

The next meeting of the All-Party Committee on Basic Income is scheduled for today (December 12, 2022).

The Terms of Reference of the All-Party Committee on Basic Income can be found in the backgrounder below.

Quotes
“I am pleased with the initial meeting held with members of the All-Party Committee on Basic Income. As a government, we remain committed to exploring and developing renewed approaches to addressing poverty, and to improve the social and economic well-being outcomes for all Newfoundlanders and Labradorians. I look forward to working with this committee on this important endeavour.”
Honourable John G. Abbott
Minister of Children, Seniors and Social Development

“After a productive initial meeting, I look forward to the next steps to exploring avenues to reduce poverty throughout Newfoundland and Labrador. As the cost of living continues to rise, this all-party committee is well timed. I look forward to working with the committee members to ensure strategies toward poverty reduction are explored, researched, and enacted in the future.”
Craig Pardy
MHA for the District of Bonavista

“I am pleased to see that government has decided to strike the All-Party Committee on Basic Income we called for in our Private Member’s Resolution. If we want to improve the social determinants of health, then we must address income. I look forward to working with members of the Committee to explore Basic Income as a tool to improve the social and economic well-being of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians.”
Jim Dinn
Interim Leader of the Third Party and MHA for the District of St. John’s Centre

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BACKGROUNDER

All-Party Committee on Basic Income
Terms of Reference

1.0 Mandate
The All-Party Committee on Basic Income is established in response to the provincial and national discussion on a basic income and following a private member’s motion supported by all members of the House of Assembly on November 3, 2021. (See Annex A)

The All-Party Committee will review basic income models and approaches and assess the viability and potential for reducing poverty in Newfoundland and Labrador. The committee will consist of Honourable Members from all parties of the House of Assembly.

2.0 PURPOSE

  1. To review currently available income supports in Newfoundland and Labrador, with a focus on the combined impacts of available supports on individuals and families;
  2. To review income support approaches, including incremental approaches to basic income, and basic income experiments  in other jurisdictions;
  3. To consult and receive expert testimony on best practices regarding  basic income and other income support models;
  4. To review and provide advice and recommendations on: basic income as an approach that should be tested in NL; if a basic income approach is recommended, what type of model should be used, including considering whether it should be targeted or general, eligibility and minimum income amounts, interaction with existing income supports, cost-benefit analysis, funding approaches, potential/need for a federal role and how to best engage the federal government and a timeline for implementation; and
  5. To submit a report to government that will be publicly released and tabled in the House of Assembly.

3.0 KEY PRINCIPLES

  • Collaborative: All members will follow generally accepted rules of collaborative work, such as respect, active listening, tolerance of differing views, etc.
  • Consensus-seeking: Although consensus may not be possible on all points, best efforts will be made to reach consensus on as many key points as possible with the ultimate goal of presenting a consensus report.
  • Open and transparent: Information, analysis, and feedback received throughout the process will be made publicly available.
  • Accountable: Committee members commit to consider and respond to all major points made or ideas proposed, even if they disagree with or are not supportive of them.
  • Accurate and thorough: Best efforts will be made to capture the views of all those interested in the topic and ensure full analyses of available data.
  • Shared learning: All involved understand that this is a complex topic and that there is always more to learn about it; they accept that they can learn from experts, including people with lived experiences of poverty, the public and one another.

4.0 Membership and Meetings

4.1 Membership

Minister of Children, Seniors and Social Development, Chair
Two (2) Government MHAs
One (1) Official Opposition MHA
One (1) Third Party MHA

If a member cannot attend a meeting, that member may be represented by an alternate Member of the House of Assembly.

4.2 Meetings

  • Meetings will be scheduled monthly or more often as needed at the call of the Chair.
  • If necessary, travel, accommodations and per diems will be reimbursed for members as per Government of Newfoundland and Labrador’s travel policy.
  • Secretariat support will be provided by the Department of Children, Seniors and Social Development.
  • Any public communications will be approved by the committee.

ROLES

Role of Chair
The chair will convene and manage committee meetings in accordance with the terms of reference, and will facilitate requests made by committee members in collaboration with the secretariat.

The Chair will be the public spokesperson for the committee.

Voting
Decisions are made by consensus. If consensus is not possible, majority voice voting is used with the minority view documented.

5.0 TIMELINE AND COMMITTEE WRAP-UP

The committee will convene from the day of official announcement to when recommendations are finalized at which time the committee will dissolve.  The anticipated time frame is 6-8 months.

Annex A

October 2020 Resolution:
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that this House consider truly ending poverty in this province by establishing an All-Party Select Committee on basic income, with a mandate to review and make recommendations on: eligibility and minimum income amounts, interaction with existing income supports, additional poverty reduction initiatives, cost-benefit analysis, potential models for such a program, and timeline for implementation; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Select Committee engage federal Members of Parliament from Newfoundland and Labrador to participate.

November 2021 Resolution:
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that this House consider truly ending poverty in this province by urging the government to establish an all-party Committee on basic income, with a mandate to review and make recommendations on: eligibility and minimum income amounts, interaction with existing income supports, additional poverty reduction initiatives, cost-benefit analysis, potential models for such a program and a timeline for implementation;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this House urge the government to ensure that the Committee has the resources it needs to conduct its work and engage federal Members of Parliament from Newfoundland and Labrador to participate.

2022 12 12 12:35 pm