Sandra Wiens stepped into the role of government relations representative for the Canadian Friends Service Committee (CFSC) two years ago. Upon joining the Quaker group focused on peace and justice, she was one of the members who noticed a pattern. It seemed like unhoused people who were previously incarcerated were asking to go back to prison, and some even wanted to remain there.

Poverty and the conditions resulting from it were the recurring factors. The connection revealed an underlying concern shared by the CFSC: growing income inequality and the cost of living crisis were triggering a set of interconnected issues that Wiens calls a “polycrisis.” And so began the advocacy of the Canadian Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) peace and justice agency for guaranteed livable basic income (GLBI), an income-tested payment that tops up earnings to ensure a livable income.

“We’re prison abolitionists,” says Wiens. “So we don’t really agree with the idea of people being in prison because we find it is a harm[ful] place. It’s like a prison to poverty pipeline. That really underpinned how we started looking into and researching with other networks to see why they were working on the guaranteed livable basic income.”

At just around 2,000 people, the Canadian Quaker community is small. But through the support of fellow organizations and their personal networks, they’re eager to grow momentum for a cause that resonates deeply with their ethos of justice, peace, and equity. These values date back to the beginning of the Quakers’ movement in the mid-1600s during a time of civil wars and unrest in England.

A glimmer of hope comes out of Prince Edward Island, where cross-party support for GLBI was gained in 2019. A plan for a GLBI project was developed after consultation with economists and public servants to determine the right amounts and ironing out finer details, and Prince Edward Island could become an exemplar. This is where the non-partisan CFSC looks for inspiration—if one province has the potential to enshrine a livable wage for all, perhaps other provinces will follow suit like in the case of universal health care, the precedent for which was set by Saskatchewan’s provincial government in the 1940s.

Quaker activism tends to mirror a “quiet diplomacy,” Wiens says, explaining that CFSC’s push for the GLBI is grounded in advocating for a government-level policy change. Senate Bill S-206 addresses the issue and a working group led by Minister of Jobs and Families Patty Hajdu is examining federal-provincial cooperation to implement the GLBI. There is a strong emphasis on advocating for the government to consider the recommendations proposed by the PEI Basic Income Report released in 2023. But inevitably, obstacles complicate the process of implementing what should, intuitively and ethically, be a welcome change. While the province continues its targeted basic income program, which serves about 700 people across the Island who are social assistance clients, the federal government indicated in November that it would not fund an expanded guaranteed basic income program.

A recurring issue is the question of which level of government has authority—is the GLBI a federal agenda item or a provincial one? And if it is to be provincial, how can it be expanded from coast to coast to ensure equitable living wages for all? Since the election of a new federal government led by Mark Carney, initiatives such as Hajdu’s working group have not convened, and PEI’s proposed GLBI project has not been brought into national focus. Another is the challenge of finding the funds. However, Wiens notes, “investing in people is a real investment. Because if there are billions of dollars [that] are going to be invested in the military, it really shows [that] the money can be found.”

As they continue to rally support for the GLBI, Wiens and members of CFSC will be attending a basic income network conference in Toronto this August where they hope to connect with other organizations to learn about their movements, and to possibly incorporate some of their strategies for public engagement. “We’ll continue pushing,” she says. “It’s the one thing Quakers do when they take on an issue. We do it for the long run until we can see progress. It’s putting faith into action.”