Is income inequality the historical norm or is it something that comes and goes, driven by events and changing economic trends such as globalization? Is it an inherent outcome of free market capitalism?
What is inevitable and what can be changed?
Is the problem income inequality, poverty – or both?
What measures/indicators do we use and are they measuring what we think they are?
Can public policy narrow the inequality gap? What are the best levers?
Can one country act effectively or must there be coordinated action?
Do Canadians care about income inequality or is it, as some have argued, an academic preoccupation?