Regent Debate: Should Western Democracies Adopt a Universal Basic Income?

On April 11th, 2018 the C.D. Howe Institute hosted its inaugural Regent Debate, where four prominent voices sparred over the following question: Should Western democracies, such as Canada, establish a universal basic income to help their citizens cope with the disruptive effects of new technologies and artificial intelligence?

Paul Begala (Political Commentator, CNN, and Former Aide to President Clinton), and Hugh Segal (Hugh Segal, Principal, Massey College, and Former Senator) represented the affirmative, and Conrad Black (Founder, National Post) and Dr. Janice MacKinnon (Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, a member of the Order of Canada, and a former Saskatchewan Finance Minister) represented the negative.