Universal basic income in Canada refers to the debate and trials with basic income , negative income tax and related welfare systems in Canada . The debate goes back to the 1930s when the social credit movement had ideas around those lines. Two major basic income experiments have been conducted in Canada. Firstly the Mincome experiment in Manitoba 1974–1979, and secondly the Ontario Basic Income Pilot Project in 2017. The latter was intended to last for three years but only lasted a few months due to its subsequent cancellation by the then newly-elected Conservative government .
160-544: William Aberhart , Premier of Alberta, was inspired by Major C. H. Douglas Social Credit theory and tried to implement a basic income for Albertans during the 1930s. However, he was thwarted in his attempts by the Federal Government of the time. In 1970, the Canadian Department of National Health and Welfare issued a white paper which both emphasized the ability of NIT to decrease poverty but at
320-610: A confidence vote could be scheduled. When parliament resumed on January 28, 2009, the Ignatieff Liberals agreed to support the budget as long as it included regular accountability reports, which the Conservatives accepted. This ended the possibility of the coalition government with the New Democrats. Ignatieff was formally named leader on May 2, 2009 . By the time Ignatieff was confirmed as party leader,
480-408: A majority government in the 2015 federal election . In both the federal elections of 2019 and 2021 , the party was re-elected with a minority government. The Liberals are descended from the mid-19th century Reformers who advocated for responsible government throughout British North America . These included George Brown , Alexander Mackenzie , Robert Baldwin , William Lyon Mackenzie and
640-589: A Bible study group in the church, which grew in attendance over the years. In 1920 he was baptized by immersion. In 1925, he broadcast his Sunday sermons on the radio station CFCN, which allowed him to broadcast his prophetic preaching to listeners throughout the Canadian prairies and part of the northern United States. In 1927 he made the decision to terminate the church's affiliation with the Baptist Union of Western Canada due to theological differences with
800-636: A Premier: William Aberhart" was published in the Canadian Historical Review . A 1977 book edited by Lewis Herbert Thomas, traced Aberhart's role in the development of Alberta's Social Credit movement. In his 1978 article published in the Canadian Historical Review , David R. Elliot examined Aberhart's theological and political beliefs. Elliot and Iris Miller published Bible Bill: A Biography of William Aberhart in 1987. A 2004 edited book — Alberta Premiers of
960-646: A basic income pilot project in Prince Edward Island. In November 2013, a poll commissioned by the Trudeau Foundation found that 46% of Canadians favoured and 42% opposed replacing current economic assistance with a guaranteed national income. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced a new trial in March 2016. In Ontario's Basic Income Pilot Project had a budget of $ 150,000,000,
1120-456: A basic income pilot would not be useful, chiefly because pilots are, by their nature, temporary and cannot provide evidence on long-term impacts. The first model under the GAI is the negative income tax (NIT). Negative income tax works on the assumption that families who earn below the low-income threshold should receive aid in the form of direct grants rather than paying taxes. This allows heads of
1280-403: A confidence vote on November 28, and Martin advised Governor General Michaëlle Jean to dissolve Parliament and call an election for January 2006 . The Liberal campaign was dogged from start to finish by the sponsorship scandal, which was brought up by a Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) criminal investigation into the leak of the income trust announcement. Numerous gaffes, contrasting with
1440-572: A course would have appealed to Aberhart by reducing "difficult theological problems to a matter of memorizing questions and answers". Aberhart had aspired to take ministerial training at the Presbyterian Knox College Divinity School, but the church in Brantford was reluctant to take on the support of both him and his family in the four-year training period. He became fascinated with prophetical teaching in
1600-450: A distinctive personality, [and] have a hobby and ride it hard." In the assessment of John Barr, a Social Credit staffer years after Aberhart's death who later wrote one of the first histories of the party's years in power, "Aberhart generally had the respect and admiration of a broad following of parents, teachers, and students." Schultz states that the only area in which all 61 people he interviewed in researching Aberhart's career agreed
1760-507: A divided conservative opposition for the past three elections, Liberals were seriously challenged by competition from the newly united Conservative Party led by Stephen Harper . The infighting between Martin and Chrétien's supporters also dogged the party. Nonetheless, by criticizing the Conservatives' social policies, the Liberals were able to draw progressive votes from the NDP, which made
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#17327984257971920-590: A family unit to use their financial resources as they best see fit rather than being constrained by the traditional income assistance programs, which typically have means tests, time limits and other restrictions. Experiments using the negative income tax model have been completed in the United States in the late 1960s through the early 1970s. The NIT model was also tested in Canada in the 1970s in Manitoba ; it
2080-427: A fear of people smarter than him. In 1919, eight Crescent Heights teachers wrote the school board requesting an investigation into Aberhart's work; the resulting inspection led to the transfer of three male teachers—with whom Aberhart had a particularly poor rapport—to other schools, and stated that persisting problems would lead to a request for Aberhart's resignation. A follow-up investigation two years later found
2240-518: A few weeks attendance was over 100 and he attracted the attendance of the senior minister Dr. Esler, but his views on prophecy did not jibe with senior minister's reformed beliefs and his teaching privileges were cancelled. He then moved on to teach successively at the Wesley and Trinity Methodist Churches. In 1915, he became an unpaid pastor of Westbourne Baptist Church in Calgary. In 1918, he founded
2400-410: A formal leader during the campaign. The party was now tasked with selecting a leader who would become the province's new premier. Aberhart was the obvious choice, as he had been the party's founder and guiding force. He initially said he did not want the job, but was finally prevailed to accept it. He was sworn in as premier on September 3 (11 days after his August 22 victory). However, he was not yet
2560-471: A half), and purchasing necessary items as fresh produce, hospital parking passes, "winter clothes they couldn't [previously] afford and staying warm", etc. Anti-poverty groups were "stunned" by the decision to discontinue the program. The Ontario Coalition Against Poverty declared that the decision "demonstrates a reckless disregard for the lives of nearly 4,000 people." Local politicians in Hamilton passed
2720-484: A high approval rating and Martin was expected to make inroads into Quebec and Western Canada, two regions of Canada where the Liberals had not attracted much support since the 1980s and 1990s, respectively. The political situation changed with the revelation of the sponsorship scandal , in which advertising agencies supporting the Liberal Party received grossly inflated commissions for their services. Having faced
2880-494: A key policy for the party in the 2008 federal election , but it was not well received and was continuously attacked by both the Conservatives and NDP. On election night, the Liberal Party won 26.26 percent of the popular vote and 77 of the 308 seats in the House of Commons. At that time, their popular support was the lowest in the party's history, and weeks later Dion announced he would step down as Liberal leader once his successor
3040-647: A lasting animosity between Chrétien and Martin. Chrétien won on the first ballot. Chrétien's Liberals campaigned in the 1993 election on the promise of renegotiating the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), and eliminating the Goods and Services Tax (GST). Just after the writ was dropped for the election, they issued the Red Book , an integrated and coherent approach to economic, social, environmental and foreign policy. This
3200-454: A less rigid approach to discipline at Crescent Heights than he had in Ontario, though Schultz says that as principal he was "authoritarian in manner and a strict disciplinarian". His love of organization persisted, and his penchant for it enhanced his reputation as "an able administrator". Crescent Height's students scored very well on departmental examinations, though some members of
3360-478: A meeting of the federation (consisting of the national caucus and up to seven voting delegates per province) to approve a new platform for the party in anticipation of the end of World War II and prepare for a post-war election. No national convention was held, however, until 1948; the Liberal Party held only three national conventions prior to the 1950s – in 1893, 1919 and 1948. The National Liberal Federation remained largely dependent on provincial Liberal parties and
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#17327984257973520-664: A member of the legislature. The Social Credit MLA for Okotoks-High River , William Morrison , resigned to give Aberhart a chance to get a seat, per standard practice in the Westminster system when a leader or cabinet minister does not have a seat. Aberhart won the November 4 by-election, held prior to the first sitting of the new legislature after the general election. Aberhart was elected by acclamation. Aberhart served as premier and as his own minister of education and, starting in 1937, Attorney General . Aberhart's government
3680-466: A minority government and St. Laurent resigned as prime minister and Liberal leader. Lester B. Pearson was easily elected Liberal leader at the party's 1958 leadership convention . However, only months after becoming Liberal leader, Pearson led the party into the 1958 federal election that saw Diefenbaker's Progressive Conservatives win the largest majority government, by percentage of seats, in Canadian history. The Progressive Conservatives won 206 of
3840-431: A pharmacy owned by his son (William Jr.'s brother) Charles. Prohibition was in effect, but pharmacists were permitted to provide alcohol for "medicinal purposes". Charles kept a bottle of whiskey for William Sr. to drink whenever he was in the store. One day a clerk rearranged the bottles, and the illiterate William Sr. took a swallow of carbolic acid ; he died within minutes. William Jr., by now in Calgary, did not make
4000-479: A position to replace the Liberals as the natural governing party in Canada." Books such as The Big Shift by John Ibbitson and Darrell Bricker , and Peter C. Newman 's When the Gods Changed: The Death of Liberal Canada , asserted that the Liberals had become an "endangered species". On April 14, 2013, Justin Trudeau , son of former Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, was elected leader of
4160-651: A progressive social policy evolved into the goal of creating a " just society ". In the late 1970s, Trudeau stated that his Liberal Party adhered to the " radical centre ". The Liberal Party under Trudeau promoted official bilingualism and passed the Official Languages Act , which gave French and English languages equal status in Canada. Trudeau hoped that the promotion of bilingualism would cement Quebec's place in Confederation, and counter growing calls for an independent Quebec. The party hoped
4320-481: A resolution "denouncing" discontinuation of the program. In contrast, from the viewpoint of the current government, this basic income pilot program is considered an ineffective use of resources, because the first priority for addressing poverty needs to be getting all residents off of welfare rolls and into employment, not providing assistance to people who are already working. Research into effective interventions for individuals suffering poverty and insecurity as
4480-405: A result of low-paid or precarious employment can be challenging, and researcher Kwame McKenzie noted that it is not easy to get 6,000 people to participate in a study. Ending the study early will make it difficult to gather conclusive data regarding the research goal of determining "what happens when low-wage, precarious workers receive a financial top-up." One op-ed writer opined that the study
4640-454: A smoothly run Conservative campaign, put Liberals as many as ten points behind the Conservatives in opinion polling. They managed to recover some of their momentum by election night, but not enough to retain power. They won 103 seats, a net loss of 30 from when the writs were dropped, compared to 123 for the Tories. Martin resigned as Liberal leader on March 18. The ensuing leadership election
4800-419: A snap election, citing favourable internal polls. However, the party was hurt by numerous patronage appointments , many of which Turner had made supposedly in return for Trudeau retiring early. Also, they were unpopular in their traditional stronghold of Quebec because of the constitution repatriation which excluded that province. The Liberals lost power in the 1984 election , and were reduced to only 40 seats in
4960-503: A strict disciplinarian: he addressed his students by number rather than name and was liberal in his use of the strap . By his own account in a 1903 essay, he viewed the classroom as a battlefield, and admired Oliver Cromwell 's military organization. While his tactics divided his students—some loved him, while others recounted that "he did everything he could to break the spirit of a child"—his supervisors gave him uniformly positive reviews. His school's principal died in 1905, and Aberhart
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5120-432: A substantial improvement in conditions and reported favourably on Aberhart's abilities. Despite this uneven relationship, Aberhart was not all together closed-minded, and would entertain—and sometimes even be convinced by—arguments from his staff. Besides his administrative duties, Aberhart taught English and math. True to form, in doing so he emphasized rote memorization at the expense of independent reasoning, to
5280-447: A two-storey wooden house and Khona finished her academic year in Brantford. 1910 Calgary was a frontier town that smelled of horse manure and in which public drunkenness was common; though Aberhart's sensibilities were less shocked by this than his wife's were, he also had to make some adjustments: in Brantford he had always attended church in a silk top hat and frock coat , but he quickly abandoned this custom after discovering that he
5440-479: Is important to remember that while the y-axis demonstrates increasing gross income, the x-axis displays a decreasing number of hours worked. With a negative income tax, individuals who have no income would earn a minimum amount (represented in Figure 1 as a value equal to 'C') instead of nothing (A). As part of a traditional welfare system, individuals receiving assistance would be taxed at a rate of 100% (demonstrated in
5600-625: Is named in his honour, as is William Aberhart High School in Calgary. In 1974, he was named a Person of National Historic Significance by the Government of Canada. A plaque commemorating this sits inside Crescent Heights High School at 1019 1st NW, Calgary, Alberta. Elliott (1978) argues that the Aberhart's Social Credit ideology was clearly antithetical to his previous theology, which was highly sectarian, separatist, apolitical, other-worldly, and eschatologically oriented. Elliott challenges
5760-416: Is usually favored by those who see the GAI as a right of citizenship and whose belief in the goal of decreasing poverty through providing the basic income and more equally sharing the economic benefits of society. For any income earned up to a breakpoint value, the government would provide a progressively small cash transfer. The concept is summarized by the formula B=G-TY where B is the net amount paid by
5920-570: The British North America Act, 1867 . However, there was no constitutional barrier to Alberta producing its own currency, which Aberhart's government did to a limited degree with its prosperity certificates . Aberhart did threaten the power of private banks with his government's extension of the UFA government's foreclosure moratorium and mandatory debt adjustment. But a law to tax banks was overturned on constitutional grounds. Later,
6080-713: The Civil Marriage Act in late June 2005 in a late-night, last-minute vote before Parliament closed down, the Senate passed it in July 2005, and it received Royal Assent on July 20. This made Canada the fourth country in the world to allow same-sex marriages. In November 2005, the Martin government brokered a deal between first ministers and aboriginal leaders known as the Kelowna Accord , which sought to improve
6240-472: The National Post , suggested that "maybe we've witnessed a revival of Canada's 'natural governing party'". At the 2019 federal election , Trudeau's Liberal Party lost 20 seats in the House of Commons (lowering its total from 177 to 157) from the time of dissolution, they still won the most seats of any party—enough seats to allow Trudeau to form a minority government. For the first time since 1979,
6400-668: The 1930 federal election and the Beauharnois scandal , which highlighted the need for distance between the Liberal Party's parliamentary wing and campaign fundraising, a central coordinating organization, the National Liberal Federation, was created in 1932 with Vincent Massey as its first president. With the Liberal return to power, the national organization languished except for occasional national committee meetings, such as in 1943 when Mackenzie King called
6560-409: The 1949 and 1953 federal elections, St. Laurent led the Liberal Party to two large majority governments. As prime minister he oversaw the joining of Newfoundland in Confederation as Canada's tenth province, he established equalization payments to the provinces, and continued with social reform with improvements in pensions and health insurance. In 1956, Canada played an important role in resolving
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6720-561: The BC Basic Income Expert Panel was appointed. The final report, "Covering All the Basics: Reforms for a More Just Society" , was released on 28 January 2021. It is based on findings from over 40 research studies commissioned by the panel . Globe and Mail columnist Gary Mason said the report "is likely one of the most exhaustive examinations on the viability of a guaranteed income conducted anywhere in
6880-773: The Clear Grits in Upper Canada , Joseph Howe in Nova Scotia, and the Patriotes and Rouges in Lower Canada led by figures such as Louis-Joseph Papineau . The Clear Grits and Parti rouge sometimes functioned as a united bloc in the legislature of the Province of Canada beginning in 1854 , but a united Liberal Party combining both English and French Canadian members was not formed until 1867. At
7040-572: The Conscription Crisis of 1917 , and especially their opposition to French schools in provinces besides Quebec. It was not until Wilfrid Laurier became leader that the Liberal Party emerged as a modern party. Laurier was able to capitalize on the Conservatives ' alienation of French Canada by offering the Liberals as a credible alternative. Laurier was able to overcome the party's reputation for anti-clericalism that offended
7200-590: The Conservative Party , positioned to their right and the New Democratic Party positioned to their left . The party is described as " big tent ", practising "brokerage politics", attracting support from a broad spectrum of voters. The Liberal Party is the longest-serving and oldest active federal political party in the country, and has dominated federal politics of Canada for much of its history, holding power for almost 70 years of
7360-759: The King–Byng Affair of 1926, the Liberals argued that the Governor General of Canada should no longer be appointed on the recommendation of the British government. The decisions of the Imperial Conferences were formalized in the Statute of Westminster , which was actually passed in 1931, the year after the Liberals lost power. The Liberals also promoted the idea of Canada being responsible for its own foreign and defence policy. Initially, it
7520-459: The Leaders' debates when Layton criticized Ignatieff for having a poor attendance record for Commons votes: "You know, most Canadians, if they don't show up for work, they don't get a promotion." Ignatieff failed to defend himself against these charges, and the debates were said to be a turning point in the campaign. On election day, the Liberals took the biggest loss in their history. The result
7680-700: The Royal Canadian Navy , multilateralism , official bilingualism , official multiculturalism , gun control , the patriation of the Constitution of Canada and the establishment of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms , the Clarity Act , legalizing same-sex marriage , euthanasia , and cannabis , national carbon pricing , and expanded access to abortion . The Liberal Party, led by Justin Trudeau since 2013, won
7840-499: The Senate Liberal Caucus until 2019. By the time the 2015 federal election was called, the Liberals had fallen back to third place. Trudeau and his advisors mounted a campaign based on economic stimulus in the hopes of regaining the mantle of being the party that best represented change from the New Democrats. The campaign was successful, and the Liberals won the election in a dramatic fashion: with 39.5 percent of
8000-644: The Suez Crisis , and contributed to the United Nations force in the Korean War . Canada enjoyed economic prosperity during St. Laurent's premiership and wartime debts were paid off. The Pipeline Debate proved the Liberal Party's undoing. Their attempt to pass legislation to build a natural gas pipeline from Alberta to central Canada was met with fierce disagreement in the House of Commons. In 1957, John Diefenbaker 's Progressive Conservatives won
8160-407: The national party's second convention in 1919 to elect William Lyon Mackenzie King as Laurier's successor (Canada's first leadership convention ), yet following the party's return to power in the 1921 federal election the nascent national party organizations were eclipsed by powerful ministers and local party organizations largely driven by patronage . As a result of both the party's defeat in
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#17327984257978320-534: The 1970s, coupled with a larger than anticipated unemployment rate, meant that the proportion of the total going to programme expenses exceeded estimates and was not under the control of the researchers. (p. 44) Ultimately the Dauphin data which was collected at great expense to the taxpayers and time from participants (in the first social experiment ever conducted in Canada ) remains largely unexamined. However, some of
8480-498: The 1986 review. The 1988 election was notable for Turner's strong opposition to the Canada-U.S. Free Trade Agreement negotiated by Progressive Conservative Prime Minister Brian Mulroney. Although most Canadians voted for parties opposed to free trade , the Tories were returned with a majority government, and implemented the deal. The Liberals recovered from their near-meltdown of 1984, however, winning 83 seats and ending much of
8640-412: The 20th century. As a result, it has sometimes been referred to as Canada's "natural governing party". The party first came into power in 1873 under Alexander Mackenzie , but were voted out five years later due to the economic conditions at the time. They would not come back to office until 1896; Wilfrid Laurier was prime minister from that year until the party's defeat in 1911 and his tenure
8800-434: The 265 seats in the House of Commons, while the Liberals were reduced to just 48 seats. Pearson remained Liberal leader during this time and in the 1962 election managed to reduce Diefenbaker to a minority government. In the 1963 election Pearson led the Liberal Party back to victory, forming a minority government. Pearson served as prime minister for five years, winning a second election in 1965 . While Pearson's leadership
8960-568: The 4,000 participants received up to $ 16,989 per year for a single person, less 50% of any earned income; or up to $ 24,027 per year for a couple, less 50% of any earned income, in monthly installments. Although the incoming Progressive Conservative government had promised to maintain the three-year pilot program , its cancellation was announced in August 2018, 10 months after the previous Liberal administration started distributing payments. Minister of Children and Youth Services Lisa MacLeod said
9120-669: The American studies would argue against a dramatic decline in the labour force. As of 2014, the Liberal Party of Canada , the New Democratic Party (NDP), the Green Party of Canada , the Pirate Party of Canada , provincial party Québec Solidaire and former conservative senator Hugh Segal advocate for basic income in Canada. Mike Redmond , former leader of the New Democratic Party of Prince Edward Island , supports
9280-673: The Bible and studied a correspondence course by Cyrus Scofield. He had been introduced to this system while attending a men's Bible Class at Zion Presbyterian, taught by William Nichol, an elderly physician. In 1910, Aberhart accepted a position as principal of Alexandra School in Calgary , Alberta. His initial Bible Study Teaching in Calgary commenced at the Grace Presbyterian Church at the Young Men's Bible Class. Within
9440-609: The Chrétien Liberals campaigned from the left, their time in power is most marked by the cuts made to many social programs, including health transfers, in order to balance the federal budget. Although Chrétien had supported the Charlottetown Accord while in opposition, in government he opposed major concessions to Quebec and other provincialist factions. In contrast to their promises during the 1993 campaign, they implemented only minor changes to NAFTA, embraced
9600-486: The Conservative government survived. The attempt to force an election, just a year after the previous one, was viewed as a miscalculation, as polls showed that most Canadians did not want another election. Afterwards, popularity for Ignatieff and his party continued to fall. Over the next year and a half, with the exception of a brief period in early 2010, support for the Liberals remained below 30 percent, and behind
9760-746: The Conservatives. Shortly after the Harper government was found to be in Contempt of Parliament over the Canadian Afghan detainee issue , Ignatieff successfully introduced a motion of no confidence against the government, beginning the 2011 election . The Liberals had considerable momentum when the writ was dropped, and Ignatieff successfully squeezed NDP leader Jack Layton out of media attention by issuing challenges to Harper for one-on-one debates. However, opponents frequently criticized Ignatieff's perceived political opportunism, particularly during
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#17327984257979920-513: The House of Commons. The Progressive Conservatives won a majority of the seats in every province, including Quebec. The 95-seat loss was the worst defeat in the party's history, and the worst defeat at the time for a governing party at the federal level. What was more, the New Democratic Party , successor to the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation , won only ten fewer seats than the Liberals, and some thought that
10080-449: The Liberal Party caucus. In announcing this, Trudeau said the purpose of the unelected upper chamber is to act as a check on the power of the prime minister, but the party structure interferes with that purpose. Following this move, Liberal senators chose to keep the designation "Liberal" and sit together as a caucus, albeit not one supported by the Liberal Party of Canada. This independent group continued to refer to itself in publications as
10240-427: The Liberal Party had a comfortable lead over the governing Conservatives. Support fell over the summer as Ignatieff was characterized of "missing in action", and Ignatieff announced on August 31, 2009, that the Liberals would not support the minority Conservative government when Parliament resumed. A month later, on October 1, the Liberals put forth a non-confidence motion; however, the NDP abstained from voting and
10400-430: The Liberal Party on the first ballot, winning 80% of the vote. Following his win, support for the Liberal Party increased considerably, and the party moved into first place in public opinion polls. In response, the Conservatives ran a series of ads attempting to "[paint] him as a silly dilettante unfit for public office" and the surge levelled off in the following year. In 2014, Trudeau removed all Liberal senators from
10560-539: The NDP under Ed Broadbent would push the Liberals to third-party status. The party began a long process of reconstruction. A small group of young Liberal MPs, known as the Rat Pack , gained fame by criticizing the Progressive Conservative government of Brian Mulroney at every turn. Also, despite public and backroom attempts to remove Turner as leader, he managed to consolidate his leadership at
10720-667: The Premier of Alberta by his lifelong disciple, Ernest C. Manning , who gradually moved away from Douglas' monetary theories. Social Credit would remain in office until its defeat in the 1971 election —one of the longest-serving provincial governments in Canadian history, and one of the longest-serving in the Commonwealth. The Aberhart Centre, a long-term medical care centre at the University of Alberta Hospital in Edmonton ,
10880-502: The Supreme Court, although it aided people for a number of years during and (for a short time) after the Great Depression. Alberta's Social Credit government brought in legislation under which an MLA could be recalled by a portion of their constituents. Aberhart's own constituents, including out-of-power UFA farmers and many oilworkers working for U.S. oil companies threatened by Aberhart's Natural Resources Conservation legislation, gathered signatures for Aberhart's own recall. He thus became
11040-413: The Tories' Ontario support largely moved to the Liberals. With a divided opposition, the Liberals were able to reap large majorities—especially in Ontario, where the party won all but one seat in 1993, all but two in 1997 and all but three in 2000. However, there was some disappointment as Liberals were not able to recover their traditional dominant position in Quebec, despite being led by a Quebecer. While
11200-518: The Twentieth Century , devoted a chapter to Aberhart. A June 2020 in-depth article in Alberta Views magazine, compared Alberta Premier Jason Kenney to Aberhart. Bruce Allen Powe in 1983 published a novel entitled The Aberhart Summer based on the events of 1935 when Aberhart swept into power. The novel was adapted as a stage play in 1999 by Conni Massing. November 4, 1935, provincial by-election Okotoks—High River * The first count vote totals were altered through STV vote transfers, to produce
11360-410: The Western-based Reform Party , which replaced the PCs as the largest right-wing party in Canada; however, the party was unable to overcome perceptions of extremism and that it was merely a Western protest party , and was virtually non-existent east of Manitoba. Meanwhile, the Quebec nationalists who had once supported the Tories largely switched their support to the sovereigntist Bloc Québécois , while
11520-567: The ambitious project ran into significant budgetary problems early on and neither the newly elected Progressive Conservative government in Ottawa nor the Tory government in Manitoba felt strongly about providing further funding. As stated by Hum and Simpson: The original budget of $ 17 million was never more than a wild guess and, in the event, proved far inadequate. The inflationary price increases of
11680-408: The arguments of Mann (1955) and Irving (1959) that there was a definite connection between Aberhart's theology and political program. Elliott reports that Aberhart's political support did not come from the sectarian groups as Mann and Irving suggest, but rather it came from the members of established churches and those with marginal religious commitment. Historian Harold J. Schultz's 1964 "Portrait of
11840-530: The authors contend that wives' labour involvement was marginal and when faced with competing tasks of looking after the household and raising children, the additional income provided by NIT was sufficient to justify an exit from the labor market. However, this phenomenon was predominantly observed in Caucasian wives whereas African American and Hispanic women exhibited a small increase in labor force participation. The decrease in labor involvement of teenage children
12000-485: The average family". The fourth of eight children, William Aberhart Jr. delivered milk to his father's customers before school each day. At school, he was a hard-working but average student. Mathematics was one of his strengths, though his approach involved more rote learning than reasoning. Elliott and Miller suggest that this tendency stayed with him his entire life, and that he "never really acquired an appreciation for inductive intellectual analysis". Aberhart
12160-516: The benefits of NIT; she said: Give them enough money to raise their kids. People work hard, and it's still not enough. This isn't welfare. This is making sure kids have enough to eat...They should have kept it (NIT). It made a real difference. (p.26) In general, the average reduction in workforce in the US sites was about 13%, with most of the reduction in labour from secondary (typically the wives) and tertiary (typically older children) earners as opposed to
12320-680: The bills would have put the province's banks under the control of the provincial government, while a third, the Accurate News and Information Act , would have forced newspapers to print government rebuttals to stories the provincial cabinet deemed "inaccurate". All three bills were later declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court of Canada and the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council . For its leadership in
12480-424: The city of Dauphin served as a saturation site, since all 10,000 community members were eligible to participate (the elderly and disabled were exempt from the four American NIT experiments); four foci of Mincome were an economic arm (examining labour response), a sociologic research division (examining the family formation and community cohesion), an administrative programme, and a statistical division. Unfortunately,
12640-426: The concept of a strong, central government, and fought Quebec separatism , other forms of Quebec nationalism , and the granting of " distinct society " status to Quebec; however, such actions served as rallying cries for sovereigntists, and alienated many Francophone Quebeckers. The other primary legacy of the Trudeau years has been financial. Net federal debt in fiscal 1968, just before Trudeau became prime minister,
12800-460: The creation of Canada's social safety net . Bowing to popular pressure, he introduced the mother's allowance, a monthly payment to all mothers with young children. He also reluctantly introduced old age pensions when J. S. Woodsworth required it in exchange for his Co-operative Commonwealth Federation party's support of King's minority government . Louis St. Laurent succeeded King as Liberal leader and prime minister on November 15, 1948. In
12960-557: The culmination of a decades-long shift in Liberal immigration policy, a reversal of pre-war racial attitudes that spurred discriminatory policies such as the Chinese Immigration Act of 1923 and the MS St. Louis incident . The most lasting effect of the Trudeau years has been the patriation of the Constitution of Canada and the creation of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms . Trudeau's Liberals supported
13120-487: The decision was taken due to high costs, and because ministry staff indicated that "the program didn't help people become 'independent contributors' to the economy.". In fact, most anecdotal reports in the popular press do not indicate that entrepreneurship was a preferred goal for participants, (although one anecdotal report described a couple who kept their existing business afloat with the program's payments). About 70% of participants were already employed when entering
13280-435: The difference in several close races. In the 2004 election , the Liberals retained enough support to continue as the government, though they were reduced to a minority. In the midst of various court rulings in 2003 and 2004 that allowed for the legalization of same-sex marriage in seven provinces and one territory, the Martin government proposed a bill to legalize same-sex marriage across Canada . The House of Commons passed
13440-457: The education, skills training, housing and health care of aboriginal peoples by providing $ 5 billion in funding over five years. Following the release of the first Gomery Report , the Liberals dropped in polls. Nonetheless, Martin turned down the NDP's conditions for continued support, as well as rejecting an opposition proposal which would schedule a February 2006 election in return for passing several pieces of legislation. The Liberals thus lost
13600-408: The educational impacts are regarded as a success. Students in these families showed higher test scores and lower dropout rates. There was also an increase in adults doing continuing education. The second model that falls under the guaranteed annual income concept is the unconditional basic income also known as the universal demogrant (UD) model. This is a payment to all persons regardless of income. It
13760-402: The eliminated Kennedy to leapfrog both Rae and Ignatieff, eliminating Rae. On the fourth and final ballot, Dion defeated Ignatieff to become leader of the Liberal Party. Dion campaigned on environmental sustainability during the leadership race, which later evolved into the "Green Shift": a proposal for a national carbon tax that would be offset by reductions to income tax rates. The plan was
13920-523: The end of his life British Israelism became increasingly central to his theology. British Israelism had been an element of his theology from an early stage, but assumed further importance following the 1939 royal tour of Canada where he spoke with King George VI on the topic. Aberhart became interested in politics during the Great Depression in Canada , a time which was especially harsh on Albertan and Saskatchewan farmers. Particularly, he
14080-828: The existence of internal inconsistencies in the Bible; for several years he adopted the approach of a Bible teacher who counselled him to "treat [the] Bible as ... a nice plate of fish" and "eat the meat and leave the bones for the dogs". Though at first he subscribed to the notion of unconditional election , and worried about whether he was destined for salvation , he later adopted the Arminian doctrine of conditional election , and became confident that, through his faith, he would be saved. While in Brantford, Aberhart studied at Zion Presbyterian church, where he became interested in Biblical prophecy , which in turn led him to Dispensationalism . Dispensationalism held that history
14240-566: The fact that families were randomized to either an experimental arm (i.e., NIT) or control arm (usual tax practice). Three major objectives of these interventions were to measure the labour supply response of NIT recipients, understand the effect of varying the base guarantee level and tax rate, and to make a better estimate of the cost of implementing such a program. In Canada, an analogous experiment called Mincome took place in Winnipeg and Dauphin, Manitoba , between 1974 and 1979. Importantly,
14400-488: The failed Meech Lake and Charlottetown Constitutional Accords , which would have recognized Quebec as a "distinct society" and would have increased the powers of the provinces to the detriment of the federal government. Trudeau stepped down as prime minister and party leader in 1984, as the Liberals were slipping in polls. At that year's leadership convention, Turner defeated Chrétien on the second ballot to become prime minister. Immediately, upon taking office, Turner called
14560-813: The fear of its impact on productivity will be the main deterrent to the introduction of a general overall guaranteed income plan. (p. 126) Following this stance, the National Council of Welfare advocated in 1976 for the implementation of the guaranteed annual income in Canada. In order to determine real-life responses to NIT implementation, the US government undertook four income maintenance experiments; they transpired in New Jersey and Pennsylvania (1968–1972), rural areas of North Carolina and Iowa (1970–1972), Seattle and Denver (1970–1978), and Gary Indiana (1971–1974). These prospective large-scale field studies were truly remarkable due to their size and
14720-539: The federal government, the courts, privately owned newspapers and a coalition of the Liberal and Conservative parties. Aberhart's government did successfully establish the Alberta Treasury Branches (now ATB Financial ), a government-owned financial institution to provide an alternative to existing banks, which continues to operate as a Crown corporation of the Alberta government. William Aberhart
14880-610: The fight against the latter act, in 1938 the Edmonton Journal was awarded a Pulitzer Prize special citation and bronze plaque , the first time a special citation was awarded outside the United States, while 95 other newspapers including the Calgary Herald , the Red Deer News , Lethbridge Herald and the province's weekly newspapers were recognized with engraved certificates. By late 1937, relations with
15040-496: The first Canadian ambassador to Washington in 1926, marking the Liberal government's insistence on having direct relations with the United States, rather than having Britain act on Canada's behalf. In the period just before and after the Second World War , the party became a champion of 'progressive social policy'. As prime minister for most of the time between 1921 and 1948, King introduced several measures that led to
15200-432: The first Canadian politician to be threatened with recall from office. Aberhart's government retroactively repealed the recall legislation rather than have Aberhart forced to give up his seat. In keeping with his evangelical views, Aberhart added a heavy dose of social conservatism to Major Douglas's ideas. Most notably, he enacted very tight restrictions on the sale of alcohol. Indeed, the only stricter law in Canada at
15360-492: The five successful candidates, one of which was not in a leading position in the first count. Liberal Party of Canada The Liberal Party of Canada ( LPC ; Quebec French : Parti libéral du Canada , PLC ) is a federal political party in Canada . The party espouses the principles of liberalism , and generally sits at the centre to centre-left of the Canadian political spectrum , with their main rival,
15520-625: The five years the Liberal government brought in many reforms, including the replacement of open voting by secret ballot , confining elections to one day and the creation of the Supreme Court of Canada , the Royal Military College of Canada , and the Office of the Auditor General ; however, the party was only able to build a solid support base in Ontario and in 1878 lost the government to Macdonald. The Liberals would spend
15680-608: The free trade concept and—with the exception of the replacement of the GST with the Harmonized Sales Tax in some Atlantic provinces—broke their promise to replace the GST. After a proposal for Quebec independence was narrowly defeated in the 1995 Quebec referendum , the Liberals passed the " Clarity Act ", which outlines the federal government's preconditions for negotiating provincial independence. In Chrétien's final term, he supported same-sex marriage , decriminalizing
15840-736: The frontrunners. A key moment in that race took place at an all-candidates debate in Montreal, where the discussion quickly turned to the Meech Lake Accord. Martin, favouring Meech, attempted to force Chrétien to abandon his nuanced position on the deal and declare for or against it. When Chrétien refused to endorse the deal, young Liberal delegates crowding the hall began to chant "vendu" ("sellout" in French) and "Judas" at Chrétien. The incident damaged Chrétien's reputation in Quebec, and lead to
16000-542: The government started its own banks, which carry on as the Alberta Treasury Branch ( ATB Financial ). Aberhart instituted a variety of relief programs to help people out of poverty, as well as public works programs and a debt relief program that froze some debt collections and mortgage foreclosures. This, like Tommy Douglas ' similar program in Saskatchewan, was later overturned in the mid-1940s by
16160-419: The government to the citizen (if it is a positive value) or tax paid (if a negative value), G is the minimum guaranteed payment, Y is the gross annual income, and T is the tax rate. As such, if a person has no income, they will receive a minimum guaranteed payment (G); all subsequent income is taxed at a rate T which is less than 100 percent. A classic diagram in economics illustrating this is shown in Figure 1. It
16320-535: The government's decision to not enter the United States-led invasion, with 27 percent expressing disapproval. In Chrétien's final weeks as prime minister, he introduced legislation to reduce the maximum allowable donation to a political party or candidate to $ 5,000. The move came as a surprise even to Liberal supporters, as Chrétien had not done anything about election financing at any other point in his ten years in office. Political observers suggested that
16480-419: The government-owned Canadian Broadcasting Corporation / Radio-Canada ) are available in both languages throughout the country. The Trudeau Liberals are also credited with support for state multiculturalism as a means of integrating immigrants into Canadian society without forcing them to shed their culture, leading the party to build a base of support among recent immigrants and their children. This marked
16640-473: The key to a healthier, happier, more secure life for all, by Evelyn L Forget Basic Income for Canadians - The key to a healthier, happier, more secure life for all William Aberhart William Aberhart (December 30, 1878 – May 23, 1943), also known as " Bible Bill " for his radio sermons about the Bible , was a Canadian politician and the seventh premier of Alberta from 1935 to his death in 1943. He
16800-495: The lieutenant governor became so strained that Bowen even threatened to dismiss Aberhart's government, which would have been an extraordinary use of his reserve powers . An analogous situation occurred in 1932 in Australia between Jack Lang and Sir Philip Game , the premier and governor, respectively, of New South Wales . However, Bowen did not follow through on his threat due in part to Social Credit's immense popularity with
16960-408: The line connecting 'C' and 'D') and as such the net income level is unchanged. However, negative income tax provides an incentive for those receiving government assistance to work (as represented by line C to D'), as they are taxed at a rate of less than 100%. The last 'F' is the break-point value for annual income, above which an individual would not qualify for assistance. Basic Income for Canadians:
17120-443: The move allowed Chrétien to retire on a positive note while saddling Martin, his longstanding rival and successor, with the burden of having to fight an election under the strict new rules. Martin succeeded Chrétien as party leader and prime minister in 2003. Despite the personal rivalry between the two, Martin was Minister of Finance during the 1990s and was the architect of the Liberals' economic policies. Chrétien left office with
17280-443: The next 18 years in opposition. In their early history, the Liberals were the party of continentalism and opposition to imperialism . The Liberals also became identified with the aspirations of Quebecers as a result of the growing hostility of French Canadians to the Conservatives. The Conservatives lost the support of French Canadians because of the role of Conservative governments in the execution of Louis Riel and their role in
17440-491: The official opposition. Ignatieff was defeated in his own riding, and announced his resignation as Liberal leader shortly after. Bob Rae was chosen as the interim leader on May 25, 2011. Pundits widely viewed the 2011 election as a political realignment and questioned the Liberal Party's viability. The Economist said, "the election represents the biggest realignment of Canadian politics since 1993"; Maclean's writer Andrew Coyne wrote that "the Conservatives are now in
17600-474: The one they had handed the Liberals nine years earlier. The Liberals were re-elected with a considerably reduced majority in 1997 , but nearly tied their 1993 total in 2000 . For the next decade, the Liberals dominated Canadian politics in a fashion not seen since the early years of Confederation. This was because of the splintering of the Progressive Conservative's electoral coalition. The PCs' Western support, for all practical purposes, transferred en masse to
17760-419: The participant interviews were released and provide support for the efficacy of NIT. For instance, Amy Richardson, a mother of six whose husband was disabled said: It was enough to bring your income up to where it should be. It was enough to add some cream to the coffee. Everybody was the same so there was no shame. (p.25) Doreen Henderson, a stay at home mother whose husband worked as a janitor also appreciated
17920-704: The party on a national level by creating three bodies: the Central Liberal Information Office, the National Liberal Advisory Committee, and the National Liberal Organization Committee. However, the advisory committee became dominated by members of Parliament and all three bodies were underfunded and competed with both local and provincial Liberal associations and the national caucus for authority. The party did organize
18080-420: The party that garnered the largest share of the national popular vote did not win the most seats; the Liberals under Trudeau had 33.1 per cent of the popular vote, while the Conservatives under Andrew Scheer had 34.4 per cent. It was also the first time a government took power with less than 35 per cent of the national popular vote since the Conservatives of John A. Macdonald , in 1867, who had 34.8 per cent of
18240-461: The party. An individual became a member by joining a provincial Liberal party. Laurier called the party's first national convention in 1893 to unite Liberal supporters behind a programme and build the campaign that successfully brought the party to power in 1896, but no efforts were made to create a formal national organization outside Parliament. As a result of the party's defeats in the 1911 and 1917 federal elections, Laurier attempted to organize
18400-592: The people. Had he dismissed Aberhart, it would have triggered a fresh election that Social Credit would have almost certainly won. Aberhart died unexpectedly on May 23, 1943, during a visit to his adult daughters in Vancouver, British Columbia , and was interred in Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Burnaby as his widow intended to move to Vancouver to be close to her children. He was succeeded as
18560-445: The point that one of his teachers once likened him to a dog trainer. He cared for his students and provided extensive extra tutoring, especially for students in whom he saw a genuine interest in learning the material. Outside of the classroom, he applied his talents to organizing picnics and games, and in 1922 organized an elected student council years before the concept became widespread in Calgary. When some students wanted
18720-501: The policy would transform Canada into a country where English and French Canadians could live together, and allow Canadians to move to any part of the country without having to lose their language. Although this vision has yet to fully materialize, official bilingualism has helped to halt the decline of the French language outside of Quebec, and to ensure that all federal government services (including radio and television services provided by
18880-431: The popular vote and 184 seats, it was the first time a party had won a parliamentary majority after placing third in a previous general election. Chantal Hébert deemed the result "a Liberal comeback that is headed straight for the history books", while Bloomberg 's Josh Wingrove and Theophilos Argitis similarly described it as "capping the biggest political comeback in the country’s history." Spencer McKay, writing for
19040-562: The possession of small quantities of marijuana, and ratified the Kyoto Protocol . On March 17, 2003, Chrétien announced that Canada would not support the invasion of Iraq , which caused friction with the United States. However, a poll conducted by EKOS for the Toronto Star and La Presse shortly afterwards showed widespread approval of Chrétien's decision by the Canadian public: 71 percent of those questioned approved of
19200-465: The potential expense of decreased work incentive. Specifically, the white paper stated: An overall guaranteed income program...worthy of consideration must offer a substantial level of benefit to people who are normally in the labour market. Therefore a great deal of further study and investigation, is needed to find out what effects such a program would have on people's motivation and on their incentives to work and save. Until these questions are answered,
19360-417: The presidents of each Liberal riding association, were developed to give the party more co-ordination and national party conventions were regularly held in biennially where previously they had been held infrequently. Over time, provincial Liberal parties in most provinces were separated from provincial wings of the federal party and in a number of cases disaffiliated. By the 1980s, the National Liberal Federation
19520-432: The primary earner (usually the husbands). In Mincome the reduction in work effort was more modest: 1% for men and 3% for wives. When the experiments were conducted, it was less socially acceptable for women to work outside the home. According to Rossi and Lyall only 40% of wives who participated in the experiment worked outside the home and their earning power was low due to limited and discontinuous work experience. As such,
19680-647: The productive system. After Aberhart's lobbying of the United Farmers to adopt Social Credit principles was unsuccessful, he helped found the Social Credit Party of Alberta . The Social Credit Party won the 1935 provincial election by a landslide with over 54% of the popular vote and all but seven of the 63 seats in the legislature. Not even the Socreds had expected to win the election. Indeed, its expectations were so low that it had not named
19840-462: The program, in low-paid positions which made it difficult to pay expenses such as rent and food . Journalistic reports tended to focus on non-entrepreneurial participant outcomes contributing to personal stability, such as augmenting disability payments, paying for education and student loans, purchasing new eyeglasses while remaining in a low-paid museum job, paying for transportation costs (such as bus fare to work rather than walking for an hour and
20000-496: The provinces of Saskatchewan and Alberta out of the North-West Territories and promoted the development of Canadian industry. Until the early part of the century, the Liberal Party was a loose coalition of local, provincial, and regional bodies with a strong national party leader and caucus, but with an informal and regionalized extra-parliamentary organizational structure. There was no national membership of
20160-424: The school board believed that he achieved this at least partly by culling weaker students with a preliminary qualifying examination. One way Aberhart applied his organizational prowess was in creating one of Calgary's first and largest parent–teacher associations , which had an average of two hundred parents attend each meeting; Aberhart had a generally good relationship with parents. His standing with his staff
20320-432: The school to purchase a movie projector not provided for in the school's budget, Aberhart organized a company into which students could buy for ten cents per share; the company put on movies for which it charged admission, and at the end of its first year of operation it declared a dividend of 25 cents per share. He urged his students to adopt four axioms he followed in his own life: "be enthusiastic, be ambitious, develop
20480-455: The still-powerful Quebec Roman Catholic Church . In English-speaking Canada, the Liberal Party's support for reciprocity made it popular among farmers, and helped cement the party's hold in the growing prairie provinces . Laurier led the Liberals to power in the 1896 election (in which he became the first Francophone Prime Minister) and oversaw a government that increased immigration to settle Western Canada . Laurier's government created
20640-454: The talk of being eclipsed by the NDP, who won 43 seats. Turner announced that he would resign as leader of the Liberal Party on May 3, 1989. The Liberal Party set a leadership convention for June 23, 1990 , in Calgary . Five candidates contested the leadership of the party, with former Deputy Prime Minister Jean Chrétien , who had served in every Liberal cabinet since 1965, and Paul Martin , MP and former CEO of Canada Steamship Lines , as
20800-667: The teachings given at the union college. In 1927, he founded the Calgary Prophetic Bible Institute in a new building. The institute building also housed the Westbourne Baptist Church. In 1929, a section of church members who disagreed with his beliefs about the need for a baptism of the Holy Spirit separate from conversion, decided to return to the old building, prompting Aberhart to found Bible Institute Baptist Church. Towards
20960-410: The time of Confederation of the former British colonies of Canada (now Ontario and Quebec ), New Brunswick , and Nova Scotia , the radical Liberals were marginalized by the more pragmatic Conservative coalition assembled under Sir John A. Macdonald . In the 29 years after Confederation, the Liberals were consigned to opposition, with the exception of one stint in government. Alexander Mackenzie
21120-846: The time was in Prince Edward Island , where the sale of alcohol remained completely banned until 1948. Well into the 1960s, commercial airlines could not serve alcohol while flying over Alberta. Although Aberhart was unable to gain control of Alberta's banks, his government gained a foothold in the province's financial industry by creating the Alberta Treasury Branches in 1938. Its operations included special credit given for those who bought made-in-Alberta goods. ATB has become Aberhart's legacy, operating as an orthodox financial institution and Crown corporation . Lieutenant Governor John C. Bowen refused to give royal assent to three government bills in 1937. Two of
21280-595: The trip east to his father's funeral. Louisa Aberhart died February 20, 1944, outliving her son, William Aberhart Jr., by less than a year. In 1911, he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario . In the fall of 1901 Aberhart was hired as a teacher at the Central Public School in Brantford , for which he was paid $ 60 per month. He fast won a reputation as
21440-494: The world." The expert panel concludes that a system constructed around "a basic income for all" as its main pillar "is not the most just policy option. The needs of people in this society are too diverse to be effectively answered simply with a cheque from the government." Instead, it proposes a mixed system that applies different approaches in different circumstances, such as targeted support for specific groups like youth aging out of care and women fleeing violence. A basic income
21600-495: Was Britain which determined external affairs for the dominion. In 1905, Laurier created the Department of External Affairs , and in 1909 he advised Governor General Earl Grey to appoint the first Secretary of State for External Affairs to Cabinet . It was also Laurier who first proposed the creation of a Canadian Navy in 1910. Mackenzie King recommended the appointment by Governor General Lord Byng of Vincent Massey as
21760-578: Was a third-place finish, with only 19 percent of the vote and returning 34 seats in the House of Commons. Notably, their support in Toronto and Montreal, their power bases for the last two decades, all but vanished. The Conservatives won 40 percent of the vote and formed a majority government, while the NDP won 31 percent of the vote and formed the Official Opposition. It marked the first time the Liberals were unable to form either government or
21920-408: Was about $ 18 billion CAD , or 26 percent of gross domestic product; by his final year in office, it had ballooned to over 200 billion—at 46 percent of GDP, nearly twice as large relative to the economy. After Trudeau's retirement in 1984, many Liberals, such as Jean Chrétien and Clyde Wells , continued to adhere to Trudeau's concept of federalism. Others, such as John Turner , supported
22080-442: Was being ended early due to fears that the results would show that the program worked. Payments concluded in March 2019. The British Columbia Basic Income Expert Panel Report assesses a basic income for British Columbia. Among the types of basic income examined is a universal basic income (UBI). The BC Green Party made a study of basic income a requirement before it would support the NDP's minority government and, in July 2018,
22240-642: Was born December 30, 1878, in Kippen, Ontario (now part of Bluewater, Ontario ) to William (c. 1844 – 1910) and Louisa (c. 1850–1944) (née Pepper) Aberhart. William Aberhart Sr. had immigrated to Canada from Germany with his family at the age of seven, while Louisa Pepper was born in Perth County, Ontario . Historian Harold Schultz describes the Aberharts as "prosperous", while biographers David Elliott and Iris Miller says they "lived better than
22400-544: Was called the Mincome experiment. It allowed every participating family unit to receive a minimum cash benefit, with every dollar over the benefit amount taxed at 60%. The results showed a modest impact on labor markets, with family working hours decreasing 5%. These potential economic costs can be offset by the opportunity cost of working. The opportunity cost of working more is spending less time with their families and on education. Mothers spent more time rearing newborns, and
22560-443: Was chosen. However, the 2008–2009 Canadian parliamentary dispute made Dion's continued leadership untenable: an agreement to form a coalition government between the with NDP faced public opposition if it meant Dion was to be become prime minister, even if only until the leadership election. Dion thus resigned as leader on December 8, with caucus selecting Ignatieff as interim leader. However, Harper prorogued Parliament before
22720-610: Was considered poor and the Liberal Party never held a majority of the seats in parliament during his premiership, he left office in 1968 with an impressive legacy. Pearson's government introduced Medicare , a new immigration act, the Canada Pension Plan, Canada Student Loans, the Canada Assistance Plan , and adopted the Maple Leaf as Canada's national flag. Under Pierre Trudeau , the mission of
22880-435: Was correlated to higher rates of high school graduation. A potential explanation is that the additional income from government assistance meant that young adults could stay in school as opposed to joining the workforce in order to support their families. This has the potential positive long-term effect of allowing youth to find higher-wage employment. In summary, the work supply response to NIT was very complex; however, data from
23040-457: Was divided into seven dispensations, during each of which God made a covenant with man, and during each of which man broke the covenant. That the terms of the covenant were different in each dispensation resolved Aberhart's earlier concerns about the Bible's internal inconsistencies. His views were heavily influenced by a correspondence course he took offered by American Dispensationalist Cyrus Scofield ; Elliott and Miller speculate that such
23200-646: Was drawn to the Social Credit theories of Major C. H. Douglas , a British engineer. From 1932 to 1935, Aberhart lobbied for the governing political party, the United Farmers of Alberta , to adopt these theories, but it never did. It is doubtful that Aberhart fully understood the theories himself. The basis of Douglas's A+B theorem is that prices rise faster than incomes when regarded as a flow, and individuals' purchasing power should be supplemented through issuance of new credits that have not derived from
23360-495: Was found to be a very costly approach to address poverty reduction, and a UBI is "orders of magnitude" more expensive than income-tested support programs that provide similar poverty reduction. Simulations using Statistics Canada's Social Policy Simulation Database and Model show that to obtain a guaranteed income of $ 20,000 for a single person, a universal basic income (UBI) would cost $ 51 billion and approximately double provincial government spending. The panel also determined that
23520-489: Was marked by several compromises between English and French Canada. From the early 1920s until the mid-1950s, the Liberal Party under Prime Ministers William Lyon Mackenzie King and Louis St. Laurent gradually built a Canadian welfare state . The Liberals' signature policies and legislative decisions include universal health care , the Canada Pension Plan , Canada Student Loans , the establishment of
23680-408: Was more mixed: he had a habit of "talking down" to them, dominated the school to the point that teachers were left with little initiative, and, as Elliott and Miller put it, "never entered the staff room except to issue an order". Many of his teachers, while respecting his abilities as an administrator, thought very little of him as a man, and some believed that his domineering approach stemmed from
23840-467: Was nicknamed "Whitey" (for his blond hair) and broadened his athletic prowess to include the long jump , shot put , 100-yard dash , high jump , cycling , and football . On July 29, 1902, Aberhart married Jessie Flatt, whom he had met in 1901 at a football game. A daughter, Khona Louise Aberhart, was born in the winter of 1903, and a second, Ola Janet Aberhart, followed in August 1905. On July 20, 1910, William Aberhart Sr. died in an accident at
24000-605: Was not a social child. Though he excelled at soccer , he generally preferred solitary pursuits such as reading or teaching himself to play musical instruments. In 1896, Aberhart attended three months of model school in Mitchell . Although this training qualified him to work as a schoolteacher, he instead enrolled in business college in Chatham , from which he withdrew after four months of successful study. In 1897–98, Aberhart attended Seaforth Collegiate Institute, where he
24160-646: Was officially known as the Liberal Party of Canada. Under Laurier, and his successor William Lyon Mackenzie King , the Liberals promoted Canadian sovereignty and greater independence within the British Commonwealth . In Imperial Conferences held throughout the 1920s, Canadian Liberal governments often took the lead in arguing that the United Kingdom and the dominions should have equal status, and against proposals for an 'imperial parliament' that would have subsumed Canadian independence. After
24320-426: Was often ignored and bypassed the parliamentary party in the organization of election campaigns and the development of policy. With the defeat of the Liberals in the 1957 federal election and in particular 1958 , reformers argued for the strengthening of the national party organization so it would not be dependent on provincial Liberal parties and patronage. A national executive and Council of presidents, consisting of
24480-633: Was re-elected in the 1940 election with a somewhat reduced mandate, with Aberhart being elected to a Calgary seat. Aberhart's government did not implement much of the Social Credit policies promised in the party's election platform, because of the province's very poor financial position in the depths of the Depression. The federal government's opposition to Social Credit was a significant block to Aberhart's policy goals. The federal government has jurisdiction over Canadian currency and banks, under
24640-547: Was selected to replace him; his salary increased to $ 1,000 per year. This figure had reached $ 1,200 by 1910 when, in response to glowing reviews from his colleagues, the Calgary Board of Education offered him a principalship at $ 1,400 per year. In response to a petition from his staff and students that this offer be matched by Brantford, Aberhart was offered a raise to $ 1,300; he declined it, and moved to Calgary that spring. His family followed later, after he purchased
24800-480: Was set for December 2, 2006, in Montreal . Eight candidates entered the contest, but only Michael Ignatieff , Bob Rae , Stéphane Dion and Gerard Kennedy were considered to be the capable of garnering enough support to be able to win the leadership, with Ignatieff and Rae being considered the front-runners . Although Ignatieff lead on the first two ballots, on the third ballot Dion picked up enough support from
24960-413: Was that he was an excellent high school teacher. Though his parents were not churchgoers, as a child Aberhart attended Sunday school at a Presbyterian church. Under circumstances that are not clear to history, in high school he became a devout Christian. He initially adopted Biblical literalism , though while at normal school he was exposed to more liberal versions of Christianity that taught
25120-526: Was the de facto leader of the Official Opposition after Confederation and finally agreed to become the first official leader of the Liberal Party in 1873. He was able to lead the party to power for the first time in 1873, after the Macdonald government resigned over the Pacific Scandal . Mackenzie subsequently won the 1874 election and served as prime minister for an additional four years. During
25280-828: Was the founder and first leader of the Alberta Social Credit Party , which believed the Great Depression was caused by ordinary people not having enough to spend. Therefore, Aberhart argued that the government should give each Albertan $ 25 per month to spend to stimulate the economy, by providing needed purchasing power to allow needy customers to buy from waiting businesses. During his premiership, Aberhart campaigned for and instituted several anti-poverty and debt relief programs, and other governmental reforms, such as consolidation of Alberta's numerous small school districts into centralized school divisions, and natural resources conservation. His attempts at banking reform met with less success, facing strong opposition from
25440-485: Was the only one in Calgary to do so. Aberhart was to become principal of Mount Royal School , but it was not yet complete at the time of his arrival, so he became the principal of Alexandra Public School immediately on his arrival. Mount Royal was still not completed by the fall, so he took over the principalship of Victoria School, which he held until becoming principal of the new Crescent Heights High School in 1915. Elliott and Miller write that Aberhart took
25600-406: Was unprecedented for a Canadian party. Taking full advantage of the inability of Mulroney's successor, Kim Campbell , to overcome a large amount of antipathy toward Mulroney, they won a strong majority government with 177 seats—the third-best performance in party history, and their best since 1949. The Progressive Conservatives were cut down to only two seats, suffering a defeat even more severe than
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