Robber Barons Are Doing Better Than Ever
A new report finds wealth inequality in Canada is reaching new heights, with a tiny elite enjoying lavish lifestyles while the many are left in the cold. The problem is not just moral obscenity but that democracy is perverted by vast wealth concentration.
Jim Pattison (left) is one of the richest people in Canada, with a net worth of US$6.75 billion as of 2024. (Province of British Columbia)
Canadians for Tax Fairness has found that wealth concentration in Canada has risen over the last twenty-five years, with a handful of families living large while amassing average fortunes approaching $500 million. Ordinary households, meanwhile, continue to struggle to afford bread and milk. That’s not just bad news for the Canadians and their economy but for democracy too.
Jacobin’s David Moscrop recently talked with Silas Xuereb, a researcher and policy analyst with Canadians for Tax Fairness and a coauthor of the report The New Robber Barons: A Quarter Century of Wealth Concentration in Canada.
David Moscrop
What has the trajectory of wealth distribution in Canada been in the last two and a half decades?
Silas Xuereb
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