David Akin / QMI
OTTAWA — They're richer than we think.
A new poll from the progressive think-tank The Broadbent Institute concludes that Canadians do not have an accurate picture of the difference between the amount of wealth controlled by the country's richest people and the amount controlled by the poorest.
The Broadbent Institute, named in honour of former NDP leader Ed Broadbent, uses the data to argue that the "wealth gap" can be closed by increasing taxes on the rich, increasing corporate tax rates, and increasing capital gains taxes.
"Canada is much more unequal than Canadians think it is and a far cry from what they think it should be," Rick Smith, executive director of the institute, said in a release. "That holds true for people of all political stripes, including Conservative voters."
The federal New Democrats and Liberals have argued that the Conservative's latest tax tweak — a plan to allow parents to split their income for tax purposes — is unfair as benefits would tend to go only to wealthier parents.
