There has been plenty of concern in Canada and around the world about income inequality, in particular the growing gap between the incomes of society’s highest-paid 10% or 1% and those of the bottom 90% of income earners. We spend less time thinking about inequality in relative wealth or net worth — the sum of all individual or family assets (house, car, investments, etc.) minus all debts (mortgage, student loan, etc.).
Taxes and tax cuts
OTTAWA—Canada’s wealthiest family dynasties are more than 4,400 times richer than the average Canadian family and much more likely to keep that money in the family than they were two decades ago, finds a new study released today by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA).
In this issue:
Illustration by Joep Bertrams (Cagle Cartoons)
Illustrations by Remie Geoffroi
This is a story about two elections: the one about the “change” Ontarians might have had if circumstances hadn’t thrown the province into political chaos, and the one we are now facing, which is about change and much more.
Ontarians heading to the polls on June 7 face a stark choice between two visions of government and two styles of governing. The choice they make could reverberate across the country. A Progressive Conservative victory under the leadership of the right-wing populist Doug Ford would almost certainly usher in another period of harsh and unnecessary austerity, and has the potential to set racial and economic justice back decades.
March 19, 2018
HALIFAX—The Nova Scotia Alternative Budget 2018, released by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives-Nova Scotia today, is a blueprint of a budget for the people. The report lays out a sustainable fiscal framework that supports the development of inclusive and prosperous communities, where we take care of each other and our environment.
OTTAWA—Today’s federal budget takes positive steps forward on gender equality and science funding but the bold policy moves that will make a real difference for Canadians —child care, pharmacare, health care or closure of tax loopholes—will have to wait for another day, say experts from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives.
Canada is only months away from legalizing and regulating the production, sale and use of cannabis for medicinal and recreational purposes. Yet, as we explore in our cover story this issue, the plan is rife with contradictions: a fledgling industry populated by former police chiefs; the fact bills C-45 and C-46 will create dozens of new pot-related offences in the process of removing some of the old ones; the continued prohibition on growing more than four or five plants at home while Canada's "licensed producers" are expected to make billions.