A new report from the Montreal Economic Institute (MEI) finds no Canadian province scores 60% or higher for social mobility, highlighting the barriers that prevent citizens from climbing the economic ladder. Alberta leads with 57.4%, while Quebec ranks lowest at 39.7%.“Social mobility is what makes the difference between having agency in moving up the income ladder, or being stuck in inherited poverty,” said Justin Callais, MEI associate researcher and co-author of the study. He noted that while some obstacles are structural or inherited, many result directly from government policy.The MEI report identifies artificial barriers such as occupational licensing, educational quality, school choice, and taxation as key factors limiting upward mobility. .Quebec, for example, requires government licences for 13 construction trades — including painting and carpentry — unlike any other province, raising costs and limiting opportunities for would-be workers.High taxes were also cited as reducing the ability to accumulate capital, invest in children’s education, or benefit from training. The MEI ranked provinces using dozens of metrics, including business regulation, housing and construction rules, and income inequality, with penalties applied for imbalances across indicators.Alberta performs poorly on occupational licensing and regulatory taking but could raise its score to more than 64% if those issues were addressed. .British Columbia, Nova Scotia, Manitoba, Ontario, Saskatchewan, and Prince Edward Island were also cited for weaknesses in areas ranging from housing and construction regulation to taxation.“The fact no Canadian province gets a grade of 60% or above is an indictment of the web of regulations that have cemented society in place and prevented so many from bettering their situation,” said Renaud Brossard, MEI vice-president of communications.“Canadians rightly expect to see their hard work pay off, and government policy should not stand in the way of that.”
