QUOTES

My mother had to farm me out to people so she could make a living. It was okay who I was with, but I wasn't with my mother. My alcoholic father-she would have left him years earlier if she had had a GLI, maybe even when she was pregnant with me and he was kicking her in the stomach. But she wasn't willing to lose the roof over our head. I felt like I should leave home when I was young. I got a job and from then on was a nervous wreck. At one point I didn't have money for the bus, and I was hitchhiking and was raped and thrown out of a car. These kinds of things happen to a lot of young women without money. I would go from job to job, and I would have nervous breakdowns from the anxiety when I didn't have a job. I was suicidal even. My body finally gave out in my 50's, and now I have no pension from these minimum-wage jobs and am on welfare. I should be on disability, but the government has made it so difficult. About my mother-she had children before she was married, and in the 1930's that was a big sin. She had to flee from an unwed mothers home because they wanted her to give up her child for adoption. Then she had to room and board, and work on this farm for this man while her parents looked after her child. She had to lock herself into her room every night to protect herself from this old geezer. And her parents thought she should marry him: "This is your lot in life, so just be grateful." She put up with this until she had saved enough money to leave and get her kids back. With a GLI she could have looked after her own child; instead, her parents resented her. -Cecia

Wow, that actually makes me want to cry, that's my immediate physical response to that question. I imagine that I wouldn't be a child sexual abuse and child rape victim. I imagine that my mom wouldn't have had to put me in the care of men offering to care for her children for free, which wasn't for free, obviously. There would be far less rage and anger in my family history. I've have had to dedicate a lot of energy and time to dealing with anger and rage in effective ways; whereas, if I didn't have to invest all that time in the healing work then maybe that it would have freed up time for other things. -Naomi

I would have spent more time with my kids. I wouldn't have been so stressed out. When I sit down and think about it, I cringe over some of the ways I handled things. How did that affect them? My kids are relatively self-confident, but when things come up, I say, "what are you afraid of?" Well they are probably afraid because I told them many times, "Be afraid, be very afraid," just from the way I acted or things I got flipped out about. -Brenda

God, that will make me cry. My mom was a single mom living in poverty with three kids under the age of five. We grew up being the kids going to school in the ratty shoes. I would not have been targeted and made fun of in elementary school. My mother would not have had the constant shame and guilt, and I would have had a healthier upbringing. Imagine how much better we would have done. The impact of the GLI on my family alone-I can't imagine the ripple effect in this world. -Suzanne

I would have been able to take time off when my sister was dying.   I would have been there differently, rather than in the stressed-out way that I was; I'd sleep in the hospital and go to work. I probably was not much use at work for that six-month period. -Naomi

There was not one situation in my life that wasn't affected by income stress-in my marriages, having to work full time, being exhausted. On the other hand, I've known people who are independently wealthy, and none of them seemed terribly happy. Ideally, you want a bit of money dispersed in smaller amounts that you can count on, not a huge amount all at once. -Jennifer

I was never in poverty until recently. It is ironic that I'm in my late 40's with a masters degree, and I don't have work. Some people think, "She has all this education, so she wants a $20 or $30/hour job." But I've been applying for housekeeping jobs. It feels like nobody wants my contribution. -Faith

If there was a GLI-my God, the stress it would have saved me! When you've already survived cancer, then you're told you have heart disease caused by the medicines, then they tell you you're not getting welfare.... I ended up back in the hospital. My doctors were telling me I need to heal, instead I was frantic. They make you feel like you're some sort of criminal, just for needing welfare.   I swear to God, they are trying to kill us. I feel that if I have to die for my rights, let me go out trying to make a change for the world, rather than going postal at someone at [the Ministry of Human Resources] -Olive

I would have a lot more freedom in my mind. You stop worrying about the coins in your wallet, when you know you have enough to survive to the end of the month. I could be more generous to my children and friends, and work on myself, explore more options for education. That would make me a better citizen. We need more of those if we want a healthy society. -Eva

There have been so many boundaries to education for me based on economics. -Sharon

I could have looked after my own health better. When I got out of UVic, I was pretty exhausted, related to age and health conditions. I could have taken time, with dignity, to concentrate on my health for a while before I went out in the working world. With [my] tendency to depression, that really snowballed in the shame and the frustration. -Samantha

I would live somewhere healthier. For me, that means the country. I need to be in nature regularly,   where I can't hear traffic, and I will notice my body pain go away and my mind calms. -Valerie

I wouldn't have to worry about juggling a lot of low-paying jobs. If you have something to fall back on, you are not as worried and can concentrate on the situation that's before you, such as an elderly mother who needs constant care, or a disabled child who needs constant care. Homecare only comes in for a few hours a day, unless you have friends and family members who can help. -Florence

If there had been a GLI, my mom and I might have been closer. She worked during the day; she worked really hard for me to have all the things she didn't have when she was a kid.   I'd have a wider education, more places to learn. I would probably travel, maybe go back to see my grandpa on the reserve. Maybe I'd have more connection to family and my community. Maybe there would have been a bigger movement in the First Nations to deal with white culture. -Aletheia

When I left home at 19, if I'd had a GLI at that time, I would not have ended up on the street and living in motels and hotels. I wouldn't have been exposed to violence that I was subjected to. -Rose

How would I personally have been affected with a GLI? See all my grey hair? [laughter]. It would have alleviated so much stress and enabled me to care for my children in a better way. I wouldn't have endured the stress of the Human Resources system. It is so degrading, demeaning. -Ruth

I was so worried about the abuse from welfare workers and what they would do to me and my children. Now I'm almost a 60-year-old woman with disability status. A GLI at this point in my life would help my health. I suffer from extreme anxiety and other major health issues as my body breaks down. Until I reach age 65, I'm still in this cycle. If I had a GLI, I'd be in an acceptable category and wouldn't have to deal with the abusive welfare workers that I've gone through for the last few years. -Terry

I had a phase in my life where I depended on men and jumped from one abusive man to another. If I'd had a GLI, I would have stayed by myself with my kids. That would have helped with my mental illness, with healthy relationships, even social life. I've lived in poverty all my life. I tend to isolate from the so-called beautiful people because I feel so alienated from them, because we are on different ends of the scale. We tend to stick together with people at our own level because other people feel superior and tend to dismiss us. I would have had more confidence with GLI and would have been treated with more respect by others. I think the GLI is a good movement.   -Dawn