Thank you very much.
It's good to see you again.
I appreciate the focus in the report this morning on the labour market approach to lifting people out of difficult times. However, the information I have so far is that Statistics Canada—reporting sometime this week, I think Thursday—is saying that what we're looking at is a seriousness of income inequality in Canada. We're failing a new generation of Canadian-born workers and immigrants, aged 18 to 34, who are not only not getting ahead but are falling further behind.
In an economic boom, as talk of a recession dominates, we see the richest 5% accumulating dramatically more wealth, incomes of most Canadians stagnating more than in incomes for people in any country in the developing world, and the poorest actually falling further behind because of that reality. This is very disturbing. Canadian-born youngest male adults and immigrants 18 to 34, according to the stats, are the prime victims of a 25-year trend of income inequality. You know this, because it was reported in your performance report of last year.
What steps are you taking to correct this, and how important is this income inequality to you?