The new emergency benefit (CRB) of $400 a week will replace the CERB at the end of this month and will cost $22 billion over the next year. However, the Liberals have not ruled out the change being made permanent – effectively creating a guaranteed basic income.

Critics point out that in many ways CRB is much more generous than CERB, which cuts off benefits after recipients earn $1,000 in income. Under CRB, recipients don’t see their benefit impacted until they earn $38,000 a year and don’t see it clawed back entirely until they earn $58,800. A worker claiming CRB and working part-time is likely to earn more than a minimum wage earner working full-time. As the recovery takes hold, the concern among some economists is that a permanent CRB would be a disincentive to returning to the work-force, resulting in labour shortages.

So make $38,000 a year doing some part time shit, bring in another $19,200 in UBI. Not bad.