Canadians tell two stories about equality: one with conviction, the other with ambivalence. The first story is about rights, recognition, and representation — and we are wholehearted about it. We still struggle with racism and sexism, and we have yet to register the full horror of this country’s maltreatment of Indigenous people, but we generally share a moral conviction that all citizens are entitled to the same human and civil rights and deserve respect — even if we don’t always treat everyone that way. It is a core element of our identity as optimistic, multicultural Canadians.
The second story is about income and wealth, and it is more troubled and inconsistent. We nearly always talk about economic equality in the negative — inequality — as though some psychic injury prevents us from adopting any other perspective. There is no agreement on how much inequality is acceptable in Canada, nor is there agreement on how it should be calculated. Nonetheless, we know we...
John Cruickshank has worked as a newspaper editor and publisher, broadcasting executive, and Canadian consul general in Chicago.
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