Rich-poor gap becomes a chasm
Churning out cogent new studies on poverty wouldn't work, the research team decided. Canadians already knew how bad the problem was. Making the case for fair wages, affordable housing, decent welfare rates and universal child care wouldn't turn the tide, they agreed. Dozens of advocacy groups were doing that with negligible success. What was needed was a catalyst to turn awareness into action. It was the summer of 2006. The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives had just received a generous donation to wake people up to the alarming rise of inequality in Canada.