In Canada, 54% of the population earns under $30,000 a year with less than 1% earning $250,000 or more.  The rising inequality in Canada is a direct consequence of shrinking job opportunities for the middle class; what was once a a strong and proud group that easily found employment in the manufacturing and public service sectors.  In stark contrast, the emerging economies are adding 40-50 million people to the working class, annually and those jobs are coming for the most part from the manufacturing sector which is being financed by western companies like Ford (opened $1 billion vehicle plant in India in 2011).  In hospitals, people are being replaced by 'register yourself' machines, another example of a middle class job being taken away.  In fact Canada’s highest-paid CEOs earned 189 times the average wage in 2010 up from 105 times in 1998 and 85 times in 1995.

Among Canada's 100 best paid CEO's, between 2009 and 2010 the average CEO experienced a wage increase of 27% which translates into a salary shift of $6.6 million to $8.4 million.  By comparison, the average Canadian only got a 1.1% wage hike.  In fact one company, Magna International (The world's third biggest auto parts maker) is home to the three highest paid executives ($95 million combined in 2010).  Also notable, only one woman made the top 100 list and that was 85th ranked Nancy Southern who received $4.8 million.

In 2010 Canada's full time minimum wage workers earned an average of only $19,798.