Statistics Canada has actually drilled into it. The top 20% of Canadian families have seen their income skyrocket since 1989, but each of the other quintiles, from the middle class down to the poorest Canadians, have seen their real incomes fall. The sharpest fall has been among the poorest Canadians. We're not talking about something where there are some segments that have fallen behind and most of the population has progressed. It's the opposite; most of the population has actually fallen behind. That's a serious issue that we have to address as public policy and it's a serious issue that I would say needs to be considered as well.
On February 15th, 2007. See this statement in context.