Yesterday, when I was on @thesmacleodshow with @rbatherson, Rob contradicted me and said increasing inequality isn't a problem in Canada. Here's the Conference Board of Canada report on it: conferenceboard.ca/hcp/Details/so…
@thesmacleodshow @rbatherson "Income inequality is higher in Canada than in 11 of its peers. Although Canada’s wealth is distributed more equally than in the U.S., Canada’s 12th-place ranking suggests it is doing a mediocre job of ensuring income equality."
@thesmacleodshow @rbatherson And I would note that the Gini coefficient, which measures distribution of income, does NOT consider debt loads, which are clearly increasing on young university graduates.
@thesmacleodshow @rbatherson I think to some extent this is like the racism discussion: "Well, Canada isn't as bad as the US, so we don't have to worry about it." (Even the facts are arguable in that case, however.)
@thesmacleodshow @rbatherson And the Gini coefficient is a great index. Important. But it also doesn't measure quality of life. For example, even if your income increases, if your rent increases more, you're not at all benefitting.
