Conspicuous consumption and its malcontents:

[A] satisfying standard of living is, for most Americans, considerably more difficult to attain than it would have been twenty-five years ago. Over this period the top one percent of earners has captured more than seventy percent of all earnings growth, while incomes of the bottom fifth have declined about ten percent and median real family income has been stagnant. More and more money is spent on SUVs and larger homes, but as a nation we spend less and less on education, the environment, and social goods.

I'd be really surprised if the statistics were any different for Canadians. (Birthplace of adbusters, which gets slagged in the article.)