A new video about income inequality in Canada introducing from Broadbent Institute's Equality Project.
income inequality
The growth of extreme inequality in Canada
There was always skepticism about claims that, as the rich became richer, income would "trickle down" to others. What wasn't perhaps foreseen was that the trickling would actually be in the other direction, and that it would be more of a torrent than a trickle.
But the evidence is now clear. Over the last three decades, the tables of the rich have overflowed, with barely any scraps falling off. On the contrary, there's been a massive transfer of income and wealth from Canada's middle and lower class to the rich.
The result is that Canada has become a highly unequal society.
The humiliation of inequality: An interview with Richard Wilkinson
Canada's reputation as a fair and equal society is in tatters.
Related rabble.ca story:
The humiliation of inequality: An interview with Richard Wilkinson
Canada is quickly slipping from its status as an equal and fair society, according to Richard Wilkinson, a British social epidemiologist and Emeritus Professor at the University of Nottingham in England.
Greater equality is better for everyone: Richard Wilkinson
Call it Unequal Canada -- the national tour. British professor and epidemiologist Richard Wilkinson has packed his first visit to Canada with public meetings, and private sessions with senior government officials and community leaders. His message is powerful, yet simple: Greater equality is better for everyone.
"It's not just the poor, but everyone is worse off in unequal societies," said Canadian statesman Ed Broadbent as he introduced Wilkinson for his sold-out Toronto presentation on Dec. 10. "More equality, not more growth, matters."
Restoring inheritance tax could raise education revenue
Almost 40 years ago, Ottawa quietly cancelled Canada's estate tax.
Few Canadians even knew about the tax. Those who did mostly belonged to a small number of wealthy families who were rich enough to pay it. With its cancellation in 1972, this tiny crowd was suddenly a lot richer.
U of T economist John Bossons calculated that ending the tax amounted to a windfall of about $12 billion ($62 billion in today's dollars) for Canada's wealthiest families.
The removal of the estate tax, which remains an obscure event in Canadian history, had momentous implications, depriving Ottawa of revenue and putting Canada on a path toward greater inequality.
Canada's best economic policy option: Inequality reduction
Since the early 1980s, Canadian economic policy has consisted of introducing market-friendly policies. The stated goal was to increase productivity, defined as output per person-hour worked. Reliance on markets has not produced the expected results.
Speaking to the Ottawa Economics Association this spring, Bank of Canada Governor Mark Carney put a pointed question to Canadian business leaders. Given all the measures put in place by successive governments to promote productivity, why is business failing to invest?
May 10, 2013 |
On April 30, 2013, CCPA Senior Economist Armine Yalnizyan testified to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance as part of the committee’s study of income inequality.
A number is never just a number: Canada's gender pay gap
32
Percentage, on average, that women earn less than men in Canada. That means that on average, a woman makes only 68 cents for every dollar a man makes. It varies by province. For instance, in Ontario it's 28 per cent. (Source)
15
Number of additional years that a Canadian woman would have to work at no pay in order to earn the same pay a man earns by age 65, at the current rate of progress. It varies by province. In Ontario, that number would be 13 extra years. (Source)
62