Excerpts from the press release:

The study, The Rich and the Rest of Us: The Changing Face of Canada's Growing Gap, looks at the earnings and after-tax incomes of Canadian families raising children under 18, comparing families in the late 1970s and those in the early 2000s. The study finds:

- Canada's income gap is growing: In 2004, the richest 10% of families earned 82 times more than the poorest 10% &em; almost triple the ratio of 1976, when they earned 31 times more. In after-tax terms the gap is at a 30-year high.

- Bottom half shut out: Between 1976-79 the bottom half earned 27% of total earnings. Between 2001-04 that dropped to 20.5%, though they worked more. Up to 80% of families lost ground or stayed put compared to the previous generation, in both earnings and after-tax terms. The poorest saw real incomes drop.

- Work is not enough: All but the richest 10% of families are working more weeks and hours in the paid workforce (200 hours more on average since 1996) yet only the richest 10% saw a significant increase in their earnings &em; 30%.