Is the Occupy Wall Street message relevant in Canada?

The Occupy Wall Street protests currently engulfing much of Lower Manhattan will spread to Canada Saturday, with protests planned in cities across the country.

Occupy Wall Street protesters march after learning that they would not be evicted from New York City's Zuccotti Park on Oct. 14. (Jessica Rinaldi/Reuters)In the U.S., protesters blame their financial institutions and their corporate policies for the ever-widening gap between rich and poor. They say all but the wealthiest Americans - one per cent of the population - have endured since the 2008 financial meltdown.

The financial situation is different in Canada, however, where banks are regulated by the federal government.

"In Canada, you do not have a banking crisis because you did not tear down the walls between commercial and investment banks and turn all of your banks into hedge funds," U.S. author and journalist Chris Hedges said on the Lang and O'Leary Exchange .

But Occupy Canada protesters present themselves as being "in solidarity with Occupy Wall Street."

"This isn't your movement or my movement, this is OUR movement. This is 'We the People,'" the group's Facebook page says, referring to the first three words of the U.S. Constitution.

Is the Occupy Wall Street message relevant in Canada, do you think? Why or why not? What issues should Canadian protesters focus on that might be unique to this country?

Related: Can the Occupy Wall Streeters set up camp in Canada?




(This survey is not scientific. Results are based on readers' responses.)