Big gap: CEOs $6.6 million, average worker $42,998

Canada's greediest 100 CEOs sailed through the darkest recession since the Great Depression without suffering a scratch.

Ottawa (5 Jan. 2011) - Canada's top 100 CEOs don't have the slightest idea what a recession means to the rest of the country.

A new study by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA) — Recession-Proof - Canada's 100 best paid CEOs — shows that executive greed survived the darkest recession since the Great Depression without a scratch.

Please download the full report and see for yourself just how phenomenally greedy this group has become. Just click on the image in this report or the link below.

Collectively, this elite group hauled home an average take of $6.6 million each in stark contrast to the $42,998 earned by the average worker in Canada.

As a result, they had "earned" more by 2:30 p.m. on Jan. 3 – the first working day of the year – than average workers will get for the entire year.

The top 10 greediest of the greedy were:

1. Aaron Regent (Barrick Gold Corp.) - $24.2 million.
2. Hunter Harrison (CN Corp.) - $17.3 million.
3. Gerald Schwartz (Onex Corp.) - $16.7 million.
4. Edmund Clark (Toronto Dominion Bank) - $15.2 million.
5. Nadir Mohamed (Rogers Communications Inc.) - $13.7 million.
6. Fred George (Gammon Gold Inc.) - $13 million.
7. Edward Sampson (Niko Resources Ltd.) - $12.9 million.
8. Gordon Nixon (Royal Bank of Canada) - $12.1 million.
9. Jim Shaw (Shaw Communications Inc.) - $11.6 million.
10. Peter Marrone (Yamana Gold Inc.) - $11.3 million.

NUPGE

The National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) is one of Canada's largest labour organizations with over 340,000 members. Our mission is to improve the lives of working families and to build a stronger Canada by ensuring our common wealth is used for the common good. NUPGE

More information:
Download Recession-Proof - Canada's 100 best paid CEOs