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Primate writes to leaders about Universal Basic Income

Published on 
December 4, 2025

The following message was sent to The Right Honourable Mark Carney, Prime Minister of Canada, and The Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Finance and National Revenue. It came about as a result of Resolution C004: Universal Basic Income, referred by the 2025 General Synod to the Council of the General Synod, which voted in favour at its November 2025 meeting.

Dear Prime Minister Carney and Minister Champagne,

I write on behalf of the Anglican Church of Canada to urge your government to implement a Universal Basic Income (UBI) in alignment with the living wage for all Canadians.

As you know, considerable research and advocacy have already been done on a UBI in Canada and in other countries, and you are aware of its potential economic and social value. In recent years, Ontario’s brief pilot project showed positive initial outcomes for participants, including improvements to physical and mental health alongside the many financial benefits.

Like other major faith and secular traditions, we respect the dignity of every human being and seek justice for all people. Across Canada, members of the Anglican Church live out this calling by offering support and services to people struggling with a growing affordability crisis, including escalating housing insecurity and unprecedented increases in food bank usage.

We believe a UBI would be a valuable initiative that would increase financial security and promote greater equity for all residents of Canada. It represents a positive nation-building policy for today and tomorrow and is consistent with the transformational agenda of your government. It has found support across party lines and in communities across this country. I pray you will make the implementation of a UBI a high priority.

I would welcome the opportunity to meet with you at your convenience to discuss this important issue.

Yours faithfully,

[signed] +Shane
The Most Reverend Shane Parker
Primate of the Anglican Church of Canada

Acknowledging the land and God’s creation

This acknowledgement is crafted in light of the Principles of Reconciliation by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, as we seek to live faithfully in Christ and in right relationship with all. 

We give thanks to the Creator for this land, its waters, forests and all living beings, and for the abiding presence of Christ among us. From coast to coast to coast, these have been cared for and nurtured by First Nations, Inuit and Métis through countless generations. 

We honour the enduring relationship Indigenous Peoples have cultivated with these lands and waters, and the treaties and agreements that reflect these sacred bonds. We acknowledge the harms caused by colonial expansion, through frameworks like the Doctrine of Discovery and structures like the residential school system. We recognize our past failures as a Church, including disruption of connections to the land and suppression of Indigenous spiritualities. 

Guided by the gospel of Jesus Christ, we confess our need for healing. We commit ourselves to seeking truth, pursuing reconciliation and nurturing harmony with all creation. We place our trust in Christ, through whom all things are reconciled to God. 

May God strengthen us to live faithfully as stewards of the Earth. Let us walk in love, justice and reconciliation, joining in God’s work to restore all creation.