Key federal and state legislators from Canada and the US who have championed a basic income guarantee discussed what has worked to build coalitions among their political colleagues and with people outside government. They talked about the challenges they’ve faced and what means they’ve used to raise the profile of basic income on the public policy agenda and push for action. They each brought a wealth of knowledge and together reflect diverse experiences that have made this issue so important to them.

Julie Dzerowicz, Member of Parliament, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Julie Dzerowicz is the first female Member of Parliament for Davenport. Elected in 2015, and re-elected in 2019, Julie was recently appointed to the influential Standing Committee on Finance. She also serves as Chair of the National Immigration and Refugee Caucus, Vice-Chair of the Canadian Section of ParlAmericas, Chair of the Canada – Turkey Parliamentary Friendship Group, Co-Chair of the Canada-Mexico Parliamentary Friendship Group, and Vice-Chair of the NATO Parliamentary Association.

Leah Gazan, Member of Parliament, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

Leah Gazan is Member of Parliament for Winnipeg Centre. She is currently the New Democratic Party's Critic for Children, Families, and Social Development, as well as the Deputy Critic for Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship. Leah has been a champion in the fight for a permanent guaranteed livable basic income in Canada and earlier this year was named to Maclean's 2021 Power List. She was a prominent Winnipeg lead during Idle No More and co-founded the #WeCare campaign aimed at building public will to end violence against Indigenous women and girls. Leah is a member of Wood Mountain Lakota Nation, located in Saskatchewan, Treaty 4 territory.

The Honourable Kim Pate, Independent Senator, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Kim Pate was appointed to the Senate of Canada on November 10, 2016. First and foremost, the mother of Michael and Madison, she is also a nationally renowned advocate who has spent nearly 40 years working in and around the legal and penal systems of Canada, with and on behalf of some of the most marginalized, victimized, criminalized and institutionalized — particularly imprisoned youth, men and women.

Liam deClive-Lowe, Executive Director, Humanity Forward

Liam deClive-Lowe serves as Executive Director at Humanity Forward. In this role, he is building a fully-bipartisan advocacy operation — to accelerate the passage of direct cash relief policies, to advance basic income, and to eradicate poverty in America. Prior to this role, Liam served as an advisor, staffer, and manager on numerous presidential and Senate campaigns in every region of the country.

Gisele Huff, President, Gerald Huff Fund for Humanity

Gisele Huff is president of the Gerald Huff Fund for Humanity. The loss of her son Gerald to pancreatic cancer in 2018 spurred Dr. Huff to apply her talents and energy to a cause they both shared – concern about technological unemployment, the growing economic divide and the potential of UBI to help address these challenges on a broad scale. Dr. Huff served as San Francisco University High School’s director of development for twelve years, and the Executive Director for the Jaquelin Hume Foundation for over twenty years where her return on investment for launching blended learning was paramount.

Stacey Rutland, Founder of Income Movement

Stacey Rutland is the founder of Income Movement. With degrees in English Literature, History, and Education she first landed in the classroom, then to user experience research and design, and finally Income Movement. Her passion for economics, and background in technology led Stacey to the basic income community where she began to understand the larger basic income ecosystem. She subsequently founded Income Movement, and organization advocating for economic justice through fostering highly collaborative coalitions and building a grassroots movement for basic income.

Political Champions of Basic Income in Dialogue