What does OWS mean for rural Canada?

The Occupy Wall Street movement has been focusing on the gap between the 99% and the 1% for two months now. As the OWS movement continues, whether we agree with the movement or not, it forces us to look closer at the issue of income inequality and other related issues in our society, including in rural Canada.

Economic and quality of life inequality is an important issue for rural Canada. Canada's economy is based on exporting the country's natural resources, from oil and gas to canola and beef, all of which comes for rural Canada. However, even though rural Canada drives Canada's economy it faces substantial government service challenges in many areas creating a disconnect for rural communities between their role in the economy and their benefit from it. In rural Canada, the division between the 99% and the 1% has a geographic element as well as those rural communities that contribute to the export economy don't usually receive the same quality if life improvements as their urban counterparts. 

Rural Canada is traditionally conservative in nature, supporting conservative governments, along the emphasis on small government philosophy that accompanies them, especially at a federal level. While this general philosophical nature of rural Canada probably helps explain why there are no occupy wall street movements in places like Portage la Prairie, Manitoba, an agricultural and conservative stronghold, it doesn't always align with the best interests of rural communities. One of the major inequalities for rural Canada is the reduction in government services impacting quality of life. Places like Portage la Prairie are always on the front lines to receive cuts in government services in areas like education and health, factors which lead or substantially contribute to rural depopulation and community decline.

As the ows movement continues, it will be very important to better understand the state of income and economic inequality in rural canada and how it impacts both rural communities and Canada's economy. The sustainability of rural Canada and the Canadians living there is affected by the same issues that the ows movement is raising and it is essential that we In rural Canada make sure that these issues receive the attention and answers they deserve.