The speed and scale of job loss in the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown was unprecedented and disproportionately impacted low wage workers. This highlighted the fragility of our social safety net, especially for women and racialized low-waged workers, reigniting popular interest in a basic income. The size, simplicity and speed of the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB), delivered to millions of Canadians within weeks of the economic shutdown, has opened up the possibility of addressing the gaps in our income support system. CERB left some groups behind, but did reach a wide variety of precarious workers that would not have been helped by Employment Insurance (EI), and was more generous than the average EI benefit or social assistance payment.

People are struggling. As front-line workers in emergency rooms, isolation shelters and clinics, we see how the COVID-19 pandemic has devastated health and livelihoods. We’ve witnessed the toll that the last several months has taken on workers, families, and marginalized communities.

Seldom does a social policy idea make headlines for weeks.