Quote:
Originally Posted by DionPlett
I think in Canada we need to focus more on our domestic policies. We're always talking about immigration but what is the government actually doing to encourage people to have more kids and giving people tax breaks, or just lowering taxes in general. We should cut immigration for a few years and just get our Canadian people involved and aware of what is going on in this country.
Canada and US birthrates are so low now that we're just able to sustain our own populations. This needs to change, I think.
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Thing is that it's partly cultural too. The declining birth rates (in fact Canada's is lower than what is needed to maintain population) are indicative of a de-industrializing first world nation. A lot of European countries have declining birthrates as well as select oriental countries (Japan, South Korea, Singapore). People in these countries are coupling later in life, and also having kids later in life (if at all). The trend may be mitigated somewhat by policy (tax breaks, longer maternity/paternity, subsidized daycare), but a lot of it is due to a shift that is associated with economic prosperity in a post industrial, knowledge-based economy.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demogra...onomic_paradox