Ireland Pays Its Artists a Basic Income — Why Can’t Canada

 🎨 Ireland Pays Its Artists a Basic Income — Why Can’t Canada? 🇨🇦

While Canada continues to spend billions propping up fossil fuels, another small country across the Atlantic has made a bold and inspiring choice: Ireland pays its artists a basic income. 🇮🇪✨

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💚 A Radical Act of Respect for Creativity

In 2022, Ireland launched a groundbreaking pilot called the Basic Income for the Arts (BIA) — the first of its kind in the world.

Under this program, 2,000 artists and creative arts workers receive €325 per week — that’s roughly $2,070 CAD per month — no strings attached, for three years.

It’s not a luxury. It’s a recognition that art is real work — work that nurtures society, builds empathy, and keeps culture alive.

The program is not means-tested, meaning artists qualify based on creative practice, not poverty level. The goal is to measure how stable income affects creativity, mental health, and community wellbeing.

So far, it’s been an overwhelming success. Artists report better focus, confidence, and health. Ireland plans to make the program permanent in 2026.

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💔 Meanwhile in Canada...

Here at home, countless artists — painters, musicians, writers, filmmakers, photographers, and designers — struggle to survive.

🎭 Many live below the poverty line.
🎨 Most work multiple jobs or unpaid gigs “for exposure.”
🏠 Rising rents force creative people out of cities like Vancouver and Toronto.
💸 Grants are temporary, competitive, and often bureaucratic.

Canada celebrates art — but too often refuses to fund the artist.

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🌎 The Money Is There — It’s About Priorities

According to environmental reports, Canada spends billions each year subsidizing the fossil fuel industry — even as it pledges to fight climate change.

Imagine if even a fraction of that went into a Basic Income for Artists:

• 10,000 creators supported nationwide
• Mental health and housing stability improved
• Cultural innovation flourishing from coast to coast
• Indigenous storytelling, language, and art protected for future generations

🎨 Artists don’t need charity — they need respect and stability.

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💡 How Canada Could Do It

🇨🇦 Step 1: Pilot the program — Start with 1,000 artists across BC or Canada for three years.
🇨🇦 Step 2: Fund it fairly — Redirect a small part of fossil fuel subsidies and unused corporate tax credits.
🇨🇦 Step 3: Measure results — Track well-being, productivity, and cultural engagement.
🇨🇦 Step 4: Expand it — Just as Ireland is now doing.

This isn’t a dream — it’s a policy choice.

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✨ Artists Are Essential Workers of Hope

Ireland recognized something simple and profound: when you support your artists, you support the soul of your nation.

Canada can do the same. It’s time to move beyond words, beyond token grants — and into real, sustainable support for those who shape our stories and inspire our future.

💬 Imagine a Canada where artists can live, create, and thrive — not just survive.

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🌻 Reflective Questions

1. What would change in your community if local artists had a guaranteed income to create?
2. How do fossil fuel subsidies compare to investments in culture and creativity?
3. What does “art as work” mean to you — and how might it reshape how we value people?

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🧠 Quick Quiz

1. How much do artists in Ireland’s pilot program receive per week?
A) €200
B) €325
C) €500

2. How long is the pilot program scheduled to last?
A) 1 year
B) 2 years
C) 3 years

3. What is one key difference between Canada’s current system and Ireland’s?
A) Canada offers a universal basic income
B) Ireland provides guaranteed income for working artists
C) Canada funds all artists equally

✅ Answers: 1–B | 2–C | 3–B

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#SupportArtists #BasicIncomeForArtists #ArtIsWork #CanadaArts #Zipolita #TinaWinterlik #PayTheCreators