Mr. Speaker, Charles Castonguay, mathematician and University of Ottawa professor, denounces the shameful and pernicious use to which the federal government is putting the latest UN world report on human development by claiming that Canada ranks number one in the world in this area.
The government bases its claim on Canada's rank on the human development index. However, the purpose of this index is to measure the gains that developing countries are making on developed countries. A close look at these statistics reveals that Canada's unemployment rate is the fourth highest in the world and that our youth unemployment rate ranks eighth among all countries on the index.
Canada also ranks eighth for the income spread between its richest and poorest citizens. The propaganda campaign of the Prime Minister and his government shows that they are stretching reality to hide the fact that they have given up on the social front.