Inequality

Canada's Growing Inequality Problem

The article I chose this week first stated that the problem of income inequality is a global one; not exclusive to the US. Canada’s top one percent earners account for 10.6% of the entire nation’s income. This study by Statistics Canada focused on the top 25.5 million tax filers whose incomes have steady inclined from 1989 to 2010. The study showed that these individuals brought in about $201,400 for the year and the same individuals in 1989, $147,500. The conclusion was due to the widening gap, its obvious the richest have significantly separated themselves from the rest in the last 20 years. The article moves on to discuss the exclusion of young persons from the employment sector and the under and unemployment struggle the last few years. After examining the median incomes, Statistics Canada (Statscan) says that the income of the top one percent in 2010 is significantly higher than the 1980s; while the other 99% of the population’s incomes have relatively remained the same. As an overall point, the top has maintained the top. On average there is a 70% chance a top earner will continue to remain so.

I liked this article because I tend to hear a lot of people talking bad about the US but praise Canada for their differences in governmental policies and economy, while the truth is Canada shares some of our very same issues. That does not make the injustice any better but it’s widely occurring and perhaps that gives the world a greater chance at finding a solution because its effecting a larger population. They also included in the article, “Ten percent of China’s population accounts for 86.7% of the country’s total wealth.” I find these statistics to be fascinating yet unfathomable. How does country after country let these blatant grievances and disproportions continue?  The old cliche, “the rich get richer and the poor get poor” is no myth or slogan but how real people live every day and over time it manifest itself to be very true. The government was put in place to protect and service the people yet they exploit and humiliate them.

Rayna Tyson. January 31, 2013. 1:00AM
http://www.valuewalk.com/2013/01/canadas-growing-inequality-problem/