Middle-class dreams a “myth” in Cda’s troubled economy: internal gov’t report

OTTAWA – The Conservative government rarely refers in public to the “middle class,” but an internal document is chock-full of the term — part of a bleak analysis of middle-class economic woes.

The assessment from Employment and Social Development Canada cites the stagnation of middle-class wages, higher personal debt and the inability of middle-class workers to get ahead.

As the report puts it, the Canadian dream is more myth than reality.

The document was prepared for the deputy minister last October, shortly before the resumption of the House of Commons, where opposition leaders hammered the Conservatives for failing to help middle-class Canadians or working families.

The Canadian Press obtained a copy under the Access to Information Act.

A spokesman for the department said the research was routine and not linked to the parliamentary schedule or any topic raised in the House of Commons.

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