You've asked some hard questions.
Yes, absolutely, a number of people...there are a lot of different models of a GAI out there. Most people who are seriously talking about this in Canada right now are talking about a negative income tax model or a refundable tax credit.
In terms of what other aspects, I mean, that's where the debate lies: which other programs get eliminated in order to introduce a guaranteed annual income? I've done some classing exercises, looking specifically at replacing adult benefits. We're talking about provincial welfare systems and INAC support on reserve, and looking specifically at that, keeping in place everything else except for a few minor little tax credits. We're keeping in place CPP, EI, and so on.
As to what level, obviously the more generous it is, hopefully the better the outcomes, but also the more expensive it gets. One reasonable thing to do is to say, well, suppose we decide that no adult should live on less than they would get if they qualified for OAS or GIS. We're talking about $18,000 per individual, more or less, and $25,000 for a family of two. If you cost that out with that kind of model, you come up with a total pan-Canadian cost of about $30 billion net, having eliminated the provincial social assistance.
It's a net cost of about $30 billion, which is about 10% of total federal government expenditure and a good deal less than we're currently spending on benefits for the elderly.