Bootstraps Need Boots: One Tory’s Lonely Fight to End Poverty in Canada

by Hugh Segal

For more than four decades, Hugh Segal has been one of the leading voices of progressive conservatism in Canada. A self-described Red Tory warrior who disdains “bootstrap” approaches to poverty, he has always promoted policies, especially a basic annual income, to help the most economically vulnerable. Why would a life-long Tory support something so radical? In this revealing memoir, Segal shares how his life and experiences brought him to this most unlikely of places, beginning with his childhood in a poor immigrant family in Montreal to his time as a chief of staff for Prime Minister Mulroney and to his more recent work as an advisor on a basic income pilot project for the Ontario Liberal government. This book is a passionate argument not only for why a basic annual income makes economic sense, but for why it is the right thing to do.

Genres: Politics

216 pages, Hardcover

Published February 4, 2020

Reviews

[Nigel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this book in an afternoon and evening.
From 3-11 pm

Where would we be if for example, the middle income of residence of Gaza earned better than 1/14 of the neighbouring lowest income, Israelis?
-Hugh Segal Tory MP
Some people never got Covid federal funding, or credit like cerb! That is how WW started.
- Ray Dalio
I learned of terrorist in Quebec to separate in the severe poverty, both independence and poverty it’s a historical and less the poverty generated unrest was a new to me later. Of course I learned about mass poverty and economic spare that help breed Marxist-Leninist insurgencies and coops even Nazi putsch in the 1930s.

But at the time I had no understanding of the link between poverty, however, abject or hopeless and extremism and insurgencies

[Steven Hepburn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was a little off-put by Andrew Coyne's forward and the incessant Left v. Right rhetoric that he can't seem to get away from.

But I was pleased Segal didn't follow the same distasteful framework for looking at GAI.

Part memoir, part political history, part uOttawa history (as an alumnus, that was unexpected and very interesting!), part magnum opus on the failures and future of poverty reduction in Canada. Segal does not hold back on identifying people over the last 60 years who worked to advance poverty reduction or did the opposite, in his eyes.

Considering the renewed interest in a universal basic income at the Federal level in Canada today, I think it was a timely read that provides a lot of background on the topic to help readers understand that this is not a new idea, but that it still remains too radical for some governments who are more interested in slashing budgets then using the valuable tax dollars in a meaningful way.

Definitely worth the read, but skip the forward.

[rabble.ca]

Review by Bill Blaikie:

Hugh Segal's new book, Bootstraps Need Boots: One Tory's Lonely Fight to End Poverty in Canada, is a good read. As an almost lifetime advocate of some form of guaranteed annual income, Segal has woven the history of the Canadian debate about a basic income policy into a book that is part personal memoir, part political memoir, part political history, and always fully partisan in favour of such a policy receiving more support than it has over the years.

It is a policy story that is told from the perspective of one who has been deeply involved in Canadian politics. Segal has long been a Tory, from his first infatuation with John Diefenbaker in the federal election of 1962, to his time on the executive of the Progressive Conservative Youth federation, and later in the offices of Tory luminaries such as Opposition leader Robert Stanfield, Ontario premier Bill Davis, and prime minister Brian Mulroney. Later, he would be appointed as a Conservative senator by Liberal prime minister Paul Martin, where he served from 2005 to 2014. He left politics to take up the position of principal of Massey College in Toronto, which he held until July of this year.

Keep reading: https://rabble.ca/books/reviews/2019/...

[Colin Freebury · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this account of Segal's life-long campaign to convince Canadians that poverty is both an affront and a threat to our cherished democracy, that welfare programs do not address the problem, and that a Guaranteed Annual Income is the best solution. He makes a convincing case, but evidence of how such a program would actually work and what effects it would have are scarce. One can easily understand, therefore, his bitter disappointment that in 2018 a newly elected government cancelled a pilot project one year into it's planned three-year timeline.

The quote below aptly sums up Segal's political philosophy and personal values.

“I believe firmly that the core freedoms from want and from fear, essential to any society’s prospects, as well as to global peace and security, are best preserved when a basic income for all, supportive of work and human dignity, is an integral part of our mixed-market capitalist societies. The infrastructure of roads, highways, schools, airports, and hospitals can and should be buttressed by an infrastructure of civility that gives everyone a chance.”

[Rennie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A combined history lesson about the Conservative party as it used to be ( a eulogy of sorts ) and a push for a basic income in Canada. Given the impact we see when people don't have an income for a couple of months, it seems clear that it would be more efficient to have a floor in place to cover rent and food for gig workers etc. We are doing it now by scrambling and applying 40 different kinds of band aids causing a lot of stress and churn that in some ways diverts energy from managing the virus that is behind it all. I am not a fan of giving people something for nothing generally but if knowing you will always have a certain amount deposited in your account each month means fewer health issues, addictions and reduced domestic violence and other crimes and better homes for children to grow up in to reduce the cycle, that seems worthwhile. Apparently 80% of the people in our prisons, costing a minimum of $45,000 a year, are there due to poverty. I get the cost/benefit of providing the current $2,000 a month being handed out that is barely half the cost of a prison stay and also reduces demand for mental and physical health services.

[Toby Mustill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Can’t say this book is quite what I expected... I thought it may be a closer analysis of his time in office and the intersectionality of his political leanings as a Progressive Conservative vs. his views on Guaranteed Basic Income.

The book was more an autobiography of how he got to his views and then what he did in his various positions to move the needle forward on Guaranteed Basic Income. What the book did not do was explain how his conservative views can be reconciled against big spending to pay for such a concept. There is one line at the end of the book that talks about restructuring the welfare system to fit in with Guaranteed Basic Income but I expected a bit more of that...

Seems like a decent guy, interesting that he’s a PC, he could easily be a Liberal or right leaning liberal too. I’m not sure what to say, vaguely interesting, nothing mind blowing.

[Carol McKnight · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to find out more about Guaranteed Annual Income, and apparently Segal is the guru on this in Canada. I want to know how it would work, but that isn’t what this book is about. It is a memoir of Segal’s life and his efforts to convince people that it would truly be a great move towards reducing poverty. I got the ‘why’ we need a GAI but I am still interested in the ‘how’. I am angry with Doug Ford for cancelling the only pilot project in Canada - a few days after he got elected as Ontario Premier - with no facts or study to justify his action. (Actually I don’t like Doug Ford at the best of times, he seems like a …. no, I’m not going there!)

The book did change my opinion on the importance of GAI, but I don’t think I will see it in my lifetime. At least not in Canada. What a shame!

[Pankaj · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fascinating account of Hugh Segal’s family history and the very detailed (and I must confess) a tad tedious, confusing narrative of his political life with new multiple personalities popping up in each paragraph that influenced him. I had hoped to gain insights into Universal Basic Income but was disappointed on that account. Mr. Segal provides the political rational across all spectra, reinforced by his own family’s example why UBI is a tool worthy of more serious consideration. However, it just trickles off at that level. An excellent communicator, he could have provided a more definitive solution.

[Jwf · Rating 4 out of 5]

While this book may not have been a perfect piece of literature; Hugh is a 5 star guy and G.A.I. is a 5 star idea. The biggest lie that those of us who could be labelled as "Haves" tell ourselves is that we are somewhow smarter, harder working, more moral etc. than the "Have Nots"; in reality the "Haves" usually have the right parents, the right neighbourhood, the right perceived race-culture-ethnicity etc. and a lot of good luck. We only need to look at the current premier of Ontario, prime minister of Canada and president of the United States.

[Abigale Miller · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the beginning - it was interesting to read about Hugh Segal’s early life in Montreal and some of the events that shaped his thinking.
And I liked the end (the last 2 chapters or so), where he talked about the basic income pilot in Ontario.
But the middle. I had to drag myself, page by page, through stories of senate sub-committee meetings... not my thing.
I thought the book would have more about the theory of guaranteed income and different approaches to implementing it. I’d like to read about that so will need to keep looking.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Given the current political landscape, it is deeply satisfying to read this account from a Conservative. It’s also really sad to think of what could have been if Segal’s brand of politics were still alive, and maybe even if he had been successful in his bid for the Conservative leadership. But Segal doesn’t dwell on that. This book is about poverty, starting off with his own childhood lived experience, and guaranteed income - what has been and what could be if we could get our heads out of our asses (my words, not his).

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

Segal is commonly thought of as a Happy Warrior, a Red Tory with a heart of gold. This autobiography begins with his formative years and culminates with his disappointment in the current Ontario government's decision to cancel the Guaranteed Basic Income Pilot Project that Segal helped to get off the ground. Still, we can read why he is eternally optimistic. It's a fascinating look at Canadian politics over the last half-century from a man who was there for most of it.

[Amanda Cox · Rating 2 out of 5]

A book about a conservative politician in Canada, and how he cares about people living in poverty.

Meh... I thought it would be more about the policies regarding poverty than it was. Instead it was more of a bio. It's filled with lots of jargon and big words. It's not really meant for someone who didn't grow up in that era. The Guaranteed Income Program (which I was most interested in) is basically discussed only in the last 10 pages.

Overall, I didn't love it.

[Rosemary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inspirational read from someone who understands poverty, inequity and how it can be solved. Segal's life led him to his way of thinking on a guaranteed income and, as someone who walked the corridors of power for decades, he understands the barriers that keep getting put up when it comes to helping the poor. It's also a heart-warming bio that will make you laugh at times. Excellent read.

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Part memoir, this book is about the author's journey from humble roots in poverty through his political career, focusing on the work he has done to work on social issues particularly in regards to bringing about a basic income to Canadians. It was an interesting and informative read for the most part.

[Ellen Dark · Rating 3 out of 5]

An educational book that is part memoir, part political. Lots of names that I remembered from my youth. I now know more of why a Progressive Conservative former senator gave a speech at a Unifor conference a few years ago. I did get bogged down a little towards the end of the book with all the nitty gritty regarding guaranteed annual income.

[Alex Gregory · Rating 3 out of 5]

A regular Don Quixote running at windmills... or perhaps money printers. Part-biography, part-pitch on a basic income pilot for Canada, "Bootstraps Need Boots" is certainly an interesting read, though bogged down in later parts by repetition and a clear failure to note how exactly anyone would pay for such a pilot.

[Carmen Lansdowne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I learned so much about the history of efforts for a guaranteed liveable or annual income in Canada - and not just that but also about the Canadian Progressive Conservatice Party (which has not been how I’ve rolled politically). I always appreciate nuance in approach and I enjoyed getting to know Segal’s life and legacy in addition to key lessons in the history of Canadian public policy.

[Jim Kokocki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book from a long-term Canadian Tory Hugh Segal on the costs of poverty and the potential of Universal Basic Income #UBI or Guaranteed Annual Income #GAI