1996 Census: Sources of Income, earnings and total income, and family income, Statistics Canada, May 12, 1998:
The nearly 21 million individuals who were income recipients in 1995 had an average total income from all sources of $25,196, down 6% from 1990 after adjustment for inflation. This decrease wiped out gains during the second half of the 1980s. As a result, average total income in 1995 was almost identical to that in 1985, and slightly below the level of 1980.
The average income of men ($31,117) was 7.8% below their average income in 1990. Between 1985 and 1990, men were just able to recoup the income losses suffered in the recession of the early 1980s. As a result, average income of men in 1995 was 7.6% below their income in 1980.
The number of female income recipients has been increasing over the years. In 1995, women accounted for nearly half (49.7%) of all income recipients. In 1995, they had an average income of $19,208, down 2.1% from 1990.
TSE 300 CEOs pocketed bigger pay package in ‘97, Globe and Mail, December 10, 1998:
Top executives of Canada's premier publicly traded companies collected an average pay package of almost $1.7-million in 1997- that's close to $709,000 more than the average two years earlier, a study released yesterday says.
"The salaries were bigger. The bonuses were bigger. The other annual compensation was bigger and the long-term [incentives] were bigger," said Alisa Dunbar, a partner who leads the executive compensation consulting practice for Ernst & Young.
I'll admit its a bit of a false comparison, because the first item refers
to a 15 year period ending 1995, while the second refers to 1995-97.
Nevertheless, I doubt that the position of the average income earner has
improved much since 1995. What is more probable is that it has
worsened. Meanwhile, our top execs have risen to the lower stratosphere
(not the middle or upper stratospheres; those are for Americans).
Ed Weick
