The Best and Worse Off: COVID-19 and Income Inequality

By any measure, Canada is a wealthy country, but not all of our citizens share this prosperity. In the past decades, and more sharply since the financial crisis of 2008, the fortunes of the best and worst off have diverged; wealth and security are taken for granted by the top percentiles of Canadians, while the bottom half are left with diminished earning power and very little assets to speak of. 

Worse still, experts say that the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated these alarming trends, and that as a polity, we are close to our breaking point. So what is to be done? Today we will learn about wealth and income inequality in Canada with our guests, David Macdonald (Senior Economist at the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives) and Dr. Evelyn Forget (Economist, University of Manitoba). We also explore Universal Basic Income as a policy solution to rebalance the scales.

David Macdonald joined the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA) as its Senior Ottawa Economist in 2011, although he has been a long time contributor as a research associate. Since 2008, he has coordinated the Alternative Federal Budget, which takes a fresh look at the federal budget from a progressive perspective. David has also written on a variety of topics, from Canada's real estate bubble to Aboriginal income inequality, and he is a regular media commentator on national policy issues.

Dr. Evelyn Forget is the leading authority on basic income in Canada. She began researching basic income by re-analyzing Canada's 1970's Mincome experiment, and continues that work as an economist in the School of Medicine at the University of Manitoba. Her recent book, Basic Income for Canadians, was nominated for the 2018 Donner Prize for excellence in public policy writing. She has been consulted by governments in Ontario, British Columbia, Quebec, Finland, the Netherlands and Scotland for her expertise. Her research has been featured on CBC Ideas, PBS Marketplace, and in the documentary 'The Free Lunch Society'. She lives in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Produced by:

Connor Fraser - Junior Producer

Chayce Perkins - Junior Producer

Duncan Cooper - Senior Producer

Erin Christensen - Executive Producer

Music:

“Neighbourhood #1 (Tunnels)” by Arcade Fire