New evidence points to emerging regional divides in thegeography of earnings inequality in Canada

Like the US, Canada has experienced pronounced growth in earnings inequality over the past three decades. But what is less well known is how this inequality differs between regions. In new research, Sébastien Breau finds that inequality is higher in the western provinces compared to the eastern ones, and between urban and rural regions. He writes that these geographical differences in inequality are linked to a region’s industrial composition, local demographics, and the decline in unionization rates and cutbacks to government welfare programs.