MAIN POINTS
(Note: main points are taken from interviews)

1. It must be universal or it would end up like welfare;
it must not involve in personal judgments

2. Important to emphasize that GLI is needed in each country in the world

3. It is important that people new to Canada would be able to access a GLI too

IMPORTANT CLARIFICATION:
In a review of the Women's Economic Justice report on July 22, 2006 in the Vancouver Sun, Daphne Bramham infers that the Report recommends that there should not be a GLI for people new to Canada. She got it backwards. Women were concerned that people new to Canada might not be able to access the GLI and that they absolutely should be able to. She misunderstood one of the points in under the Concerns section of the report.

(original wording that was misunderstood by Vancouver Sun reviewer:
"People new to Canada would have to access the GLI too" )

Read her review here...

4. It would have to be simple to administer and to apply for

5. Have an option for teenagers to access their GLI if they need to leave home due to abuse

6. Watch for more violence when women become more independent; some men may feel threatened by change in power dynamics

7. Watch for GLI being set up to fail

8. Initiatives needed to help people make transition

9. Watch for identity fraud

10. People might continue with destructive types of consumption

11. It is better for young adults to live with their families for guidance,
with a GLI they would leave and be more susceptible
to bad influences

12. Regressive/exploitive communities (sexist or racist groups)
might develop in isolation

CONCERN QUOTES

We could look at it like this: we don't know what to do, but we know what not to do. So far nothing has worked, so why not just try it? As problems arise, monitor it, work with it, but don't say from the beginning that there will be problems, because they just don't know. -Sharon

We definitely need guaranteed income for living, that's number one. What might go wrong? No it would be perfect. With GLI, there is no risk of homelessness or dieing from of health problems. -Olga

I don't think things can go wrong with a GLI, as they don't go wrong when we help people so they can function in a normal way. We can see a reaction from people who are being helped, to go and try to realize themselves in society and to contribute. -Eva

I don't think much could go wrong. [Laughter] GLI would be such a positive step for so many people. It would free up their anxiety and would overall help people's health big-time. Talk about a preventative type of solution to many, many people out there who live in extreme poverty! -Terry

We have to try it and stop worrying about the concerns. It's better than what we have now, and whatever concerns come up, deal with them when they come up. Don't say we can't do it because, people will become lazy, take advantage, won't compete. They don't think about why it is they believe for a person to have money, or not, is a measure of their success. Why not try it, there is nothing to lose, what ever comes from it deal with it when it comes up. I'm sure they didn't think what are the costs of capitalism when they brought that in from feudalism. I'm sure they didn't say lets just think about this for a while, what's the costs of capitalism? With GLI, more could profit, can't go too wrong to appease more masses than less. -Rachel

People would be stumped, and they might still try to manage people to keep their [social work] jobs going. But people from poverty will be liberated to say,"I don't need you, I don't need to be managed, and if you want to talk to me, talk to me about being a human being, not being a case." It would be a real eye-opener for people who spew off and say they want to empower people. They will see people being empowered on their own and they won't be needed anymore. GLI might make people feel really uncomfortable. We've grown so accustomed to needing to have problems, needing people to have problems. -Rachel

I think [GLI] it's pretty straightforward; can't think of any reason why not. To me, it really is like changing attitudes. -Samantha

What could go wrong? Well, all kinds of things could, quote, 'go wrong', but all kinds of things are already wrong! It doesn't make sense not to try something else, because what we are doing now isn't working. The argument is that people won't do anything, that the economy will grind to a halt. But the way we are behaving is not sustainable; there are limits to growth. Things are going to grind to a halt unless we choose a different path. [GLI] needs to be tried. I remember all the early arguments of Aboriginal self-government: "Oh, they're not ready yet, not organized," not this or not that. You can say those things forever. Let people try things, but don't set it up to fail. -Valerie

The only negative thing I can see if substance abuse might still happen. People need to counsel each other-not necessarily professional, but indigenous help from other women who have lived life. Hearing from them, how to raise kids, how to make ends meet, how to grow a garden-all those things would help a lot. If women could really have women's groups that they can go to, meeting someone at the community garden for example, and then establish friendships. -Perpetua

There are no lazy people. People go snaky when they have nothing to do. People like to be able to say they are busy, busy bees. -Claire

If people are on GLI, they wouldn't worry as much about jobs, and would be out trying to volunteer more. But after a couple of years of GLI, people might get into a rut. -Florence