Humanity has achieved so much. We have eradicated many diseases, reduced child mortality, made tremendous advances in technology and science, and we now produce more than enough food to feed the world. Why then are extreme poverty and global inequality still with us? Globalization has undoubtedly contributed to greater wealth, an integrated market system and worldwide technological advances; however, the benefits of these advances are very unevenly shared and, by most accounts, global inequality is worsening. While progress is evident in countries like China and India, poverty in Sub-saharan Africa has increased: even wealthy countries are seeing widening income disparities. While there is some debate over statistical measurements and precise numbers there is a general consensus that inequality remains a concern. Consider these statistics:

→ The poorest 1 billion people live on roughly $1 a day and account for only 1.5% of the world's income. The poorest 40% live on $2 a day and have just 5% of the world's income.

→ The world's 500 richest people have a combined income of more than $100 billion. That exceeds the combined incomes of the poorest 416 million people.

→ 20% of the world's population (in developed nations) consumes 86% of the world's goods.

Global inequality affects the day to day lives of billions of people, impacting their life expectancy and access to food, clean water / air, shelter, education, health services, employment and safety. Canada and other wealthy countries cannot insulate themselves from the consequences of such inequality. It threatens to increase migration pressures on the northern hemisphere, spread pandemics and other communicable diseases and spur the growth of political or religious extremism. How should Canada deal with this problem of global inequality? If we commit to reducing inequality, what actions should we take? What tradeoffs are we prepared to make as a country and as Canadians? This discussion guide is intended to help you learn more about this complex issue and think through important choices that reflect our values, interests and assets.

Map illustrating the percentage of the population that lives on less than $2 per day.

Next section: Background