A protest banner at a Langley overpass that called for a guaranteed livable income was part of a larger province-wide campaign, organizers said.

It was dropped from the Langley Bypass and 196th Street crossing on Sunday morning, May 1, reading “#WomenDemand Guaranteed Livable Income.”

It was part of a province-wide action led by the B.C. Women’s Alliance, which said women dropped banners demanding a guaranteed livable income in Vancouver, Kelowna, Victoria, Prince George, the Sunshine Coast, Gulf Islands and Nelson as well.

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Langley resident Maria Khan, a volunteer with the Alliance, said “while we have made significant improvements in the gender pay gap, immigrant-heavy communities such as Langley and Surrey are still disproportionately affected.

“Many immigrant women are afraid to demand equal pay due to cultural and language barriers,” Khan said.

“Guaranteed Livable Income allows us to address inequalities and cushions the barriers that women face daily.”

A banner calling for a ‘guaranteed livable income’ went up on the 196th Street overpass in Langley on Sunday, May 1, as part of a province-wide campaign. (Special to Langley Advance Times)

Currently, there are two linked federal bills that are being debated in parliament that call for the minister of finance to develop a national framework to provide all persons over 17 with a “guaranteed livable basic income – Bill S-233, proposed in the Senate by Senator Kim Pate, and Bill C-223 introduced in the House of Commons by NDP MP Leah Gazan.

A statement by the Alliance called on B.C. MPs to support the bills so they become law, and on the provincial government to cooperate with the consultation process.

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“While the terms Guaranteed Livable Income (GLI), Universal Basic Income (UBI), and Guaranteed Annual Income are often used interchangeably, the BC Women’s Alliance is calling for a GLI that will allow all individuals residing in Canada an adequate and dignified standard of living,” the statement said.