Exposing the Myth of Meritocracy

In his insightful write up about the realities of Canada’s so-called system of meritocracy, Dan Hoyer (SoDy’s Founder and Director) shows us in fact that there are stark inequalities and social disparities prevalent in a society that claims to offer equal opportunities for all.

Share of the total income (left) and total wealth (right) held by the richest one per cent of Canadians. Source: World Inequality Database.

“While America has long been styled the ‘land of opportunity’, Canadians similarly like to think of ourselves as a just and fair society with equality of opportunity. This ‘Canadian Promise’ is a bedrock of Canadian identity, heralded by leaders from all sides of the political spectrum. But it is becoming harder to believe.”

In fact, inequality has increased significantly in the last twenty years, with clear disparities between groups of different age, race, sex and gender… So how do we stop, and actually reverse, this systemic inequality?

Read the full article over on the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives.