Jobs and Economic Growth Act  She knows, she is well aware, that what we have seen, dramatically, under the former Liberal government and the current Conservative government, is a push back on the kind of equality that Canadians want to see. Income inequality in Canada is now at the same level, shamelessly, shockingly, as it was in the 1920s. Prior to the CCF and the NDP coming into being, pushing the big business parties, the Conservatives and the Liberals, into some measure of equality, we have now seen the Conservatives and the Liberals push back and push the middle class and poor Canadians to the point where there is more inequality than there has been in any other time since the 1920s.

Provincial Choice Tax Framework Act  It continues the pattern under successive federal Conservative and Liberal governments of pursuing policies that boost the returns to a privileged corporate elite on the flimsy excuse that they will use those returns to benefit the rest of us. Three decades of growing income inequality in this country prove those promises false.

Disposition of an act to amend the Excise Tax Act  It continues the pattern, under successive federal Conservative and Liberal governments, of pursuing policies that boost returns to a privileged corporate elite on the flimsy excuse that they will use those returns to benefit the rest of us. Three decades of growing income inequality in the country proves those promises are false. However, what is the HST? I am getting a lot of calls from my constituents. They know it is going to cost them more, but they really and truly do not understand what it is all about.

Disposition of an Act to amend the Excise Tax Act  The HST continues the pattern under successive federal Conservative and Liberal governments of pursuing policies that boost returns to a privileged corporate elite on the flimsy excuse that they will use those returns to benefit the rest of them. Three decades of growing income inequality in the country prove those premises false. Every person I have talked to in my riding of Hamilton Mountain understands that reality. I have asked what they would say if I told them that the federal Conservative government was bribing the provincial Liberal government to raise their taxes by 8%.

Human Resources committee  Yukon women are 2.9 times more likely to experience sexual abuse and are more likely to be killed by a spouse. The gap between the families with the lowest and highest incomes, an indication of income inequity, widened during the past decade, with single mothers the most affected. Child poverty is women's poverty, which is increasing in our hostile environment. More women and children are accessing soup kitchens, the food bank, and emergency housing.

Human Resources committee  Okay. For those of us who follow them, the socio-economic policies to mitigate income inequity in this country over the last decade and a half have been pretty depressing. But I'll answer Tony's question by saying there have been two great successes, and I encourage you to use those successes and lever them.

Human Resources committee  Employment insurance, old age security, the tax structure; there are lots of really smart suggestions for the tax structure that would result in reducing income inequality and would significantly address poverty in Canada. Transfer payments with conditions attached have long been a tradition, but less so under recent governments of Canadian federalism.

Economic and Fiscal Statement  This gives me an opportunity to add something to the debate that not much has been said about. One of the problems that explains the current crisis is the rising income inequality in our societies—particularly in American society, but Canada has not escaped it. At present, in the United States, the most recent statistics indicate that in 2006, the richest 1% of families had 23% of total American household income.

Human Resources committee  I think the same is true in communities across the country. We need new housing starts, and this income inequality is going to make the problem even worse.

Human Resources committee  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?

Finance committee  This might well put an army of tax accountants and tax lawyers out of work, as it renders the search for tax advantage less fruitful, but that's a good thing for our economy, because we can put those minds to more productive use. For the second concrete example, consider income inequality. In work with my colleagues David Green and Marc Frenette, of Statistics Canada , we have documented a sharp increase in pre-tax and transfer income inequality since 1980 in Canada.

Human Resources committee  This is the beginning of a vicious cycle where children are not successful in school, become disengaged, and often years later leave school without graduating. Poverty and income inequality affect all members of society, but have much longer-lasting effects on children. Ontario is both the largest economy in Canada and one of the most prosperous jurisdictions in the world.

Human Resources committee  We're particularly concerned about the persistence of poverty, especially among children and families. From the beginning our key issues have been the eradication of poverty and growing income inequality. As you probably know, the OECD unfortunately singled out Canada as one of the most unequal societies last year in its review, and it cited major tax cuts and reductions in transfers to provinces and individuals as key sources.

Human Resources committee  As the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives said just a week or so ago, I think that maintaining income inequality is dangerous. It's not sustainable. I think long-range thinkers should really be aware of this.

Human Resources committee  If you go to Nova Scotia, for example, with an increasingly large senior population, if you reduce income inequality and in fact create an inclusive society, you dramatically reduce health care costs. In B.C., the argument across on the other coast is that the provincial budget will go completely over the top because of the increasing health care costs.