Income data for 2010 from the National Household Survey, released yesterday, are not comparable to Census data from previous years, and may under-represent some low income groups.

Nonetheless, the data provide some interesting vignettes of an unequal Canada, and show that the elimination of the long-form Census by the Harper government has not hidden all of our social problems under the rug.

Many Experience Low Income

Low income as reported by the National Household Survey is based on the LIM measure, meaning that a person lives in a household with less than half of the median or midpoint income of a comparable income. By this measure, 14.9 per cent of all Canadians lived in low income in 2010. Almost one in five (17.7 per cent) of children (under age 15) lived in low income, as did one in three (30.4 per cent) of First Nations persons.

Not a Diverse Elite

As widely noted, the top 1 per cent are overwhelmingly white and male and mainly drawn from the ranks of senior management and top professionals. Among the 272,600 Canadians in the top 1 per cent could be found just 870 persons with Registered Indian status (0.3 per cent of the group) and 2,070 black persons (0.8 per cent of the group.)

Gilded Youth

Among the 272,600 Canadians in the top 1 per cent with average incomes of $381,336 could be found 365 exceptionally lucky young people age 15 to 24 with average incomes of $387,286. One suspects that large bequests and trust funds among the very wealthy rather than exceptional talent are at work here.

Superstars

The rise of the top 1 per cent has often been linked to the rise of superstar artists. Not in Canada. Just 1,670 of 436,825 Canadians working in Arts, Entertainment and Recreation were in the top 1 per cent.

Struggling Seniors

Freedom 55 is definitely a memory. Median total income (half had more, half had less) of persons aged 65 to 74 in 2010 was just $24,938. One quarter of income (23.8 per cent) came from employment. Public pensions and other transfers make a huge difference, providing 37.1 per cent of income in this age group.

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Too bad tomorrow's seniors will have to wait until age 67 to get their Old Age Security, thanks to the Harper Government. And just 15.8 per cent of income in this age group comes from the Canada Pension Plan, showing just how modest this program is in the context of shrinking employer pension plan coverage.

Youth Left Behind

The great majority of young people want to work at least part-time for part of the year, not least to help pay for those soaring costs of post secondary education. But in 2010, one in three young people (34.1 per cent) had no employment income at all, and the median amount of earnings (half earned more, half earned less) was a modest $9,052. No wonder student debt is on the rise.

Aboriginal Canadians Still at the Bottom of the Ladder

Aboriginal Canadians were much less likely to be working full time on a full year basis in 2010 – just 29.4 per cent of the population aged 15 and over, compared to 35.8 per cent in the general population. Average employment income of Aboriginal Canadians was $32,906, or 27 per cent less than the average of $41,795 for all Canadians.

All in all the data released yesterday underline that income inequality remains one of the key challenges of our time. Cracking this nut is the difference between a decent life and a continuing struggle for millions of our fellow citizens. The good news is that, contrary to the prognostication of various conservative pundits, income inequality is not a law of nature. It is not inevitable. It can be changed through careful and effective public policy. Demanding our governments get a move-on in this regard needs to be a top priority for us all.

Rick Smith is Executive Director of the Broadbent Institute.

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