Income Gap in Canada

In today’s society it is unfortunate to say that a person’s income does reflect their value to society. Classism, it affects all of us. The government has classified you based on your yearly income. For example; if your income is between $18,000 - $23,000 you are classifed as a lower class Canadian. If your income is between $35,000 - $55,000 you are the average middle class Canadian. To be classified as an upper class Canadian your income would need to be anything above $55,000. The government has also classified those with combined income so if you are common - law, or married. Have you ever wondered why a doctor gets paid more than a construction worker? A doctor gets paid roughly $360,000 a year compared to the $63,000 a year income a

Canada, the most affluent of countries, operates on a depletion economy which leaves destruction in its wake. Your people are driven by a terrible sense of deficiency. When the last tree is cut, the last fish is caught, and the last river is polluted; when to breathe the air is sickening, you will realize, too late, that wealth is not in bank accounts and that you can’t eat money.

In a recent interview in the Ottawa Citizen, Justin Trudeau spoke on his decision to increase taxation on the wealthy upper class in order to redistribute money to the middle and lower class. This is in response to the issue of stalled median household income where Canada’s GDP has doubled yet household income has only increased by 15% (Kennedy 2015). This hints at income inequality in Canada, as it sheds light at the struggle of middle class families to provide for their families. Parents are having to choose between their retirements or providing education for their child (Kennedy 2015). To Justin Trudeau, this means that “something isn’t working anymore” (Kennedy 2015). Most likely, he senses that the way money is earned and distributed in Canada is highly unbalanced, leading to a income gap between the rich and the poor. Trudeau’s solution to middle class worries is to increases taxation on upper class

The issue of economic inequality has ruined the economy of the United States completely. This issue is making its way to Canada, which is causing more of its citizens to go into poverty. When this problem first started to arise, it was strongly ignored by the government because they believed it would not cause a problem. However, over the past twenty years, it has increased rapidly which caused the gap between rich and poor to became enormous. Moreover, the wealth of the rich strongly depends on the disadvantage of the poor. The only way the rich will stay rich is if the poor stay poor. The top one percent of Canadians receive 318,000 dollars on average whereas the bottom ninety percent receive only 28,000 dollars. If the poor start getting high

There is no doubt that wealth inequality in America has been escalating quickly; the portion of total income earned by the top one percent has doubled since the beginning of the 1970’s. The wealthy are the main beneficiaries

Even though Canada sits in the middle of the scale, while considering inequality, it stays behind countries like Denmark, Norway and Sweden. In wake of the globalization, public austerity programs, middle class incomes are getting lower and fiscal challenges at all government levels are threatening education, pensions, and public health care. It is more difficult how for 20 and 30 years old people to get a better life than their parents had. In Canada, middle class is vanishing and a big gap is between poor and rich. The wealth is in the hands of 1% going after US strand and disparity between C.E.Os. and workers is so evident. In 2012, the ratio was 1:122 while a decade earlier

How can there be so many people in poverty? It is all around us even though Canada has made the G20 Richest Nations; they still have one of the highest poverty rates for in the industrialized world. Through reading many articles such as Ann Duffy and Nancy Mandell’s “Poverty in Canada”, others that I have found online, and my own personal experience I have learned the numerous reasons why so many people in a well industrialized nation such as Canada are struggling with poverty.

As the middle class try to climb the ladder, the rich seem to own the ladder. The divide between the middle class and the rich is an increasingly major issue in Canada since long ago. Many studies done by historical and contemporary economic professionals have shown how their perspectives are positively economic based. For one example being Karl Marx; an excellent philosopher who changed economic thought during the eighteen hundreds. By arguing that all of human history is governed by economic laws that perpetuate the conflicts between different social classes, Karl Marx made the importance of his economic theory very

Poverty is a significant threat to women’s equality. In Canada, more women live in poverty than men, and women’s experience of poverty can be harsher, and more prolonged. Women are often left to bear more burden of poverty, leading to ‘Feminization of poverty’. Through government policy women inequality has resulted in more women and children being left in poverty with no means of escaping. This paper will identify some key aspects of poverty for Canadian women. First, by identifying what poverty entails for Canadian women, and who is more likely to feel the brunt of it. Secondly the discussion of why women become more susceptible to poverty through government policy and programs. Followed by the effects that poverty on women plays in

In the article, “The Case For Free Money: Why Don’t We Have Universal Basic Income,” James Surowiecki presents the benefits of a universal basic income and why it is appealing to workers and politicians. After an experiment, known as “Mincome,” implanted universal basic income in Dauphin during the 1970s, evidence clearly shows that the Canadian town received remarkable advantages, such as lowered dropout rates and hospitalization rates. The idea of universal basic income is not new, however, it is regaining popularity. Contrary to popular belief, some from both the Democratic and Republican parties support assured basic income, Surowiecki claims. The current push for universal basic income is emboldened by the rising concern of advancing

Inequality in Canada is not as prominent as many other places around the world, although it does remain in certain segments of Canada. There are many forms of inequality in Canada and internationally, although this papers main focus is going to be the inequality of wealth. According to Steven Kerstetter “Canadians may view their country as a land of opportunity, but it is also a land of deep and abiding inequality in the distribution of personal wealth” (Kerstetter 2002). The “gaps between the rich and poor remain evident in Canadian statistics” (Kerstetter 2002), Canadians have always kept financial security as an essential element of life and have tried to obtain and sustain it within their lives. Frank Cunningham’s article, “What’s

Canada is one of the wealthiest countries in the world, however, many citizens are below the blurred poverty line. (251). The poverty line in Canada is measured by the LICO-IAT (boooook) and the MBM (253). The resources for those below the poverty line are very poor; food banks and shelters are unable to uphold the amount of people that are in need of them. (252). Among the poor, many people have paid employment, however, it is not enough.

Into 21st century, social problems are everywhere in the world, even Canada, one of the wealthiest post-industrialized countries in the World. Canada has estimated 35.5 million people living within ten provinces, and three territories. Canada rated 10th highest nominal per capita income globally, and 8th highest ranking in the Human Development Index. This rank is based on the measurement of civil liberties, education, economic freedom, and government transparency (Statistic Canada, 2014). Although Canada is one of the highest members in Organization for economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), and classified as one of the world’s wealthiest industrialized nations, there is no official measure or government definition for poverty in Canada

While elites take up a large percentage of Canadian’s annual household income, their businesses also provide the country with employment and market investment. This forces the government to value the presence of these stakeholders, and support systems such as the CCPC. While previous political party platforms have attempted to raise taxes, elites have been quick to threaten to uproot business within the country (Osberg, 2015). This entraps the government to continue to support these schemes, or leaving the lower class jobless.

These limitations further exacerbate the problem of labour market polarization and inequality as a prerequisite to attaining such credentials is usually a head start such as a more advantaged family background and the money to do so. Despite Canadians’ levels of education, on average, the relative earnings of young Canadians have been falling over the past two decades. It is therefore apparent that industrial restructuring and new forms of labour market segmentation have disadvantaged younger workers. Regarding education, with increasing tuition costs there may be a reversal of the trend toward equality of educational opportunity that categorized the latter decades of the 20th century. The working poor, mainly single-headed households have become a larger group of the Canadian labour market. With declining levels of social assistance and such low minimum wages, these individuals (women) have become severely disadvantaged in terms of opportunity. There is little chance of them finding adequate employment and of being able to afford any form of post-secondary education that may better their chances. Other victims of inequality include recent immigrants and the non-recognition of their credentials. Over the past two decades, the average education of immigrants has risen but it appears to be taking longer for them to catch up to Canadian born