The "Occupy Wall Street" movement, which spread to many cities around the world last fall, once again brought the never-ending question of income inequality to the forefront of public debate. Concerns about this issue have also been fed by studies that have appeared over the past year, especially those from the Conference Board of Canada and the OECD. However, even though these studies present data showing that income inequality in Canada has been tending to increase, the interpretation of their conclusions is not as obvious as it might appear at first glance.

Analysis on increasing life expectancy and public pension benefits.

The financing of the Quebec Pension Plan.

Changes in life expectancy and the way we manage our pension programs.

Quebec's Strategy for Entrepreneurship.

Union organizations are private organizations, but their financing relies on an indirect power to tax known as the Rand formula. They also enjoy various tax breaks, like a tax credit for union dues, a tax exemption for strike pay as well as tax credits for contributions to labour-sponsored funds. Despite these quasi-public financing prerogatives, Quebec union organizations generally do not exhibit financial transparency and have very few obligations in this regard.

It is universally acknowledged that a quality education system has a profound influence on economic prosperity. In the long run, only a trained and productive population can improve its quality of life in a sustained manner. It is after all in order to promote access to education that the Quebec Department of Education was established in 1964. Today, this Department has an annual budget of $15.5 billion, the equivalent of 25% of Quebec government program spending.

The liberalization of the Canadian postal sector.

The contribution of immigrant workers to the Canadian economy.

After months of unsuccessful negotiations and conciliation talks, Canada Post workers voted by a margin of 94.5% in favour of going on strike at the end of May if they do not reach a negotiated settlement with their employer. The time is right to evaluate the costs that a postal service monopoly imposes on consumers and on the economy as a whole. To determine which reforms might lead to the best postal service at the best price, we should study the experiences of other countries.

The debate on whether or not public sector employees are better paid than their private sector counterparts.

The purpose of Quebec's Occupational Health and Safety Plan is to prevent industrial accidents and occupational diseases and to compensate the victims of such hazards. Strangely, while the number of these accidents and occupational diseases is dropping, the costs of compensation continue to rise, increasing the $2.55-billion annual bill entirely paid for by employers. This program alone represents the equivalent of 65% of corporate taxes paid in Quebec.

Article published exclusively on the Montreal Economic Institute's website.

The workers' freedom of choice in Quebec and abroad.