This Family Day, it's time to grapple with the fact that Canadians are not having enough kids
(Ottawa) –Today the Institute of Marriage and Family Canada is pleased to release a new report Forty years below replacement. The report examines how population aging may have negative consequences for the strength of the Canadian economy in years to come.
While Canada is experiencing continued population growth, this does not take population aging into account. Canadians need to have more children. Importantly, polls show they would like to. According to the World Values Survey, the ideal number of children for Canadian families was 2.7, which is considerably higher than our current fertility rate of 1.63.
Population aging has implications for both the public and private sectors. Children (eventually) pay taxes to help support our public social safety net. Children (eventually) add to the employment pool for when Baby Boomers retire, which they will soon be doing en masse.
“People worried about overpopulation in Canada are barking up the wrong tree,” says researcher Derek Miedema. “We’re getting older, and the real question is how hard the transition to a fully retired Baby Boomer generation is going to be. Having more kids now would make it easier,” he adds.
The paper outlines some of the reasons why Canadians are having fewer kids, like tight finances and changing family mores—delayed marriage, for example.
As for solutions, the report does not recommend building new public institutions or relying on government intrusion to “encourage” families to have children. Family size is a deeply personal matter. However, Canadians say they desire larger families than they have. Thus, the report recommends maximizing financial freedom for families through the introduction of family taxation, which decreases the family tax burden and allow families to keep more of their own hard earned money.
To read the full report, click here.
To arrange an interview please contact Andrea Mrozek at the Institute of Marriage and Family Canada at 613-565-3832, ext. 7502. Derek Miedema can be reached by email at derekm@imfcanada.org
Download the press release below