Socioeconomic Inequality, Automation & Government Control

"The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much it is whether we provide enough for those who have little." ~ Franklin D. Roosevelt

"Human rights are not only violated by terrorism, repression or assassination, but also by unfair economic structures that creates huge inequalities." ~ Pope Francis

"In our society it is murder, psychologically, to deprive a man of a job or an income. You are in substance saying to that man that he has no right to exist. You are in a real way depriving him of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, denying in his case the very creed of his society." ~ Martin Luther King, Jr.

Canada faces significant challenges as it grapples with growing economic and social inequality, rapid automation, and evolving job skill requirements. Despite the country's social programs and universal healthcare system, these services remain critically underfunded at all levels of government—municipal, provincial, and federal.

One of the most glaring consequences of this underfunding is the widening income gap between the wealthy and the poor, especially in major cities. This disparity is contributing to rising hate crimes, as marginalized groups, feeling increasingly excluded, sometimes resort to negative behaviors.

Meanwhile, the landscape of Canadian jobs, particularly in manufacturing and retail, is shifting due to automation technologies. Workers are now faced with the urgent need to adapt and acquire new skills to remain employable in an economy that increasingly values technological proficiency.

In response, there has been growing discussion within Parliament and provincial legislatures about implementing a universal basic income (UBI) as a safety net for Canadians whose jobs are at risk of being displaced by automation and more advanced artificial intelligence. However, the public education system, including government-funded colleges and universities, has been slow to pivot. These institutions lag behind in providing retraining and upskilling opportunities to prepare workers for the technological demands of the future job market.

Canada prides itself on its commitment to freedom of speech and the press, yet these liberties face external pressures. Traditional media and the evolving landscape of global social media pose significant competition to Canadian journalism. Moreover, there is increasing concern over the government's growing tendency to regulate the internet, attempting to decrypt information provided by whistleblowers to journalists. Will this trend continue, with governments potentially punishing journalists in their efforts to control the flow of information? Only time will tell if these democratic freedoms will stand resilient in the face of such pressures.