MAIN POINTS
(from interviews)

1. Less competition and division

2. Less discrimination based on economic fear

3. GLI Would eliminate welfare stigma

4. More participation and less isolation, means coming into
contact with more diverse people

5. People would be less vulnerable to discrimination

6.   Bigger movement to address racism and sexism and
other forms of discrimination

7. People would not have to deal with poor-bashing
on top of other discriminations

8. We could see what we have in common with one another
instead of looking for who is more oppressed

EQUALITY - Quotes

With a GLI, people would start to realize that they are all in the same boat together. There would be less judgment based on class, race, ableism.   -Rose

If basic needs are taken care of, it does provide for a community of people who are striving to do anti-racism work, anti-homophobia work. For the individuals who are called to do community-building, it means being able to focus on that, instead of having to do it on top of their 16-hour day. -Naomi

People will be forced to look at themselves more than looking at others. There'd be no one to gaze at, no charity dinners. We won't have to go counting the homeless; there won't be millions of dollars spent on these groups that do research on homeless. People would have to go: "Oh my god, I have to look at myself, instead of looking at others as being the problem," or looking at fixing others. I'd have to look at me."-Rachel

With a GLI, the biggest word is, "independence." We wouldn't have go on welfare or have to be degraded by these people who look at us as losers. -Olive

Parts of racism and sexism would be addressed with a GLI. Just by having more money, people would be less vulnerable. Women would be less vulnerable, and older people would be less vulnerable. People have to get over the idea that "because I can exploit a person, I can have a comfortable life." In Native communities too, things are done in different ways, and because of racism it was seen as not as good. Well maybe people will start opening their eyes a little bit more, or the people who are doing the oppressing won't have quite as much power. A GLI would be a value shift. -Claire

People would have more resources to organize on racism. Certainly, having an income would make a huge difference, because you wouldn't have a class of poor people to point to who are visibly different. It would go a long way to eliminate classism, if it was an across-the-board income that everybody got, like a GST cheque, rather than something you had to qualify for. Disadvantaged people wouldn't have to compete with one another for jobs. -Jennifer

In terms of discrimination, a GLI does decrease it a lot. It cuts across all the "isms," because no human is immune to poverty and starvation. So if we guaranteed that we are not going to be looked down upon, not standing in line ups being embarrassed and shamed, it takes away that whole classism thing, not eliminating it, but it will reduce that kind of discrimination enormously. -Faith

There would be less classism with a GLI. Even within homophobia, there is classism. There are people who don't like poor street youth, and there are women who don't like poor women. A GLI would level things off a bit; they wouldn't hate people for being poor. But many people don't want to open their minds, so I don't know how much it would help. -Aletheia

I think it would have a huge impact on discrimination. People would have higher self-esteem. If they are in survival mode, they are in a negative perspective and quicker to attack people. If they are more secure, they would be more charitable towards people. -Suzanne

Getting rid of desperation and fear of poverty would reduce fighting between different groups and possibly begin to end racism. Poverty makes people think they don't belong. [With a GLI] upper class people wouldn't feel the fear either and be so defensive. But they would have to treat the humans around them with dignity and wouldn't be able to have slaves. -Kym

It would be an eradication of poverty, where there is not this great divide where some people own a monopoly of the world and everybody else has to work for them or suffer deep poverty and homelessness. The stigma from being poor as a child really stays with you as an adult, and if you have other oppressions, it just heightens it. If people weren't so worried about status, then we could look at the larger situation of how we relate to each other. -Rachel

With GLI, you'd be on level playing field and not finding fault all the time in ourselves and others. We would have a more positive energy. -Sharon

A GLI would address the stigma from poverty by having dignity and respect for the individual. It would erase this poverty-bashing and the extra stress that goes with it. -Rita

A GLI would be a leveler. One example of that is how people want to know what you do, and that's how they decide whether you are worth talking to or not. It's mainly to be able to maintain your dignity and not be begging for an income, not having to prove you are worthy-no longer the shame of being identified as a burden on society. -Samantha

If society asks to judge ourselves based on how much $ in our bank account, and people fall for that and do value themselves based on that then it would be beneficial to everyone to have an equal starting place. -Janine

In the Constitution, Section 7*, we are guaranteed security of person. That is part of our legal rights. But it is more than just a legal right. A GLI would give a person the ability to have a roof over their head and food in their belly, but it would also give them dignity and give their life value. -Donna

*"Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of the person and the right not to be deprived thereof except in accordance with the principles of fundamental justice."