Juno News - August 15, 2024


Are Canadians worried about collapsing birth rates?


Episode Stats

Length

9 minutes

Words per Minute

189.90875

Word Count

1,769

Sentence Count

129


Summary


Transcript

00:00:00.000 It probably has something to do with how expensive every f***ing thing is.
00:00:02.960 My stepfather, for instance, he had seven or eight brothers, sisters. I'm an only child.
00:00:07.520 They can't even afford a home now, and so then they delay having their children.
00:00:12.400 I feel like we already have enough people on the planet.
00:00:15.540 If something happens in terms of war, we find ourselves in very unstable times.
00:00:18.620 Who would choose to fight for Canada if they don't identify themselves as Canadian?
00:00:22.680 Canada's current birth rate is at historic lows, 1.33.
00:00:34.140 The year prior, it was at 1.43, and replacement level is 2.1.
00:00:39.600 So this is clearly a major issue in this country, but no one seems to be addressing it at a political level.
00:00:45.900 There are many reasons as to why Canadians are not having as many children anymore.
00:00:48.720 For one reason, housing is now so expensive that the dream of owning a home is out of reach for many young Canadians.
00:00:56.660 Not just housing, but general affordability. Everything is extremely expensive.
00:01:01.180 Canada's tax rates are also not conducive to raising families.
00:01:06.360 In order to solve Canada's demographic problem, the government has looked to mass immigration to turn this trend around.
00:01:12.460 Millions of people have entered Canada over the past few years,
00:01:15.600 and as Canada's fertility rate has reached record lows, Canada's growth rate, Canada's population, has reached record highs.
00:01:23.140 Is this the direction that we should be heading in as a country?
00:01:26.180 And what do Canadians actually think about this?
00:01:28.100 Is Canada's declining birth rate an issue to them?
00:01:31.360 Well, we're here in downtown Toronto to ask locals about this issue.
00:01:34.960 Is it an issue to them? Are they concerned about it? Why or why not?
00:01:38.640 Let's see what they have to say.
00:01:39.660 We're doing a video and asking Canadians if they're concerned about Canada's declining birth rates.
00:01:44.100 It's well below replacement level, and we're just wondering if it's ever an issue that's crossing anyone's mind.
00:01:47.760 I'm very concerned.
00:01:48.720 We need to have at least replacement level, or our country's going to suffer.
00:01:52.620 And what do you think needs to be done in order to motivate Canadians to have more children and to start having more families?
00:01:59.420 Supporting the nuclear family. Maybe a little bit more insight into what happens when countries don't support their, you know, at least have replacement level birth rates.
00:02:13.460 And do you think that it's a problem for the country to rely on immigration to solve your population problems,
00:02:19.160 rather than what we're doing now, which is relying on immigration?
00:02:22.000 We're not having enough children naturally. So do you think that's an issue?
00:02:25.320 I think it complicates national identity and a bit of assimilation into culture.
00:02:34.980 You know, if you have immigrants coming in, it's been kind of the idea that you want to assimilate to culture to still maintain the Canadian identity.
00:02:43.580 If people are born in other places, they may not want to assimilate or identify themselves as, you know, people from Canada.
00:02:51.160 A simple example that I've heard of and people have talked about is, for example, if something happens in terms of war,
00:03:02.900 we find ourselves in very unstable times, who would choose to fight for Canada if they're not, if they don't identify themselves as Canadian?
00:03:08.620 Declining birth rate?
00:03:09.940 Everybody I know is pregnant or has kids. I don't think so.
00:03:12.680 Wow, because Canada's birth rate is at 1.33 and it's been dropping year over year.
00:03:17.980 It probably has something to do with how expensive every f***ing thing is. Sorry.
00:03:22.340 You think that it should be a concern that political leaders take seriously?
00:03:25.940 Absolutely. 100%.
00:03:27.080 Certainly something, yeah, I've been aware of.
00:03:30.400 If you think about, like, back when, you know, my stepfather, for instance, he had seven or eight brothers, sisters.
00:03:36.660 I'm an only child.
00:03:37.860 Yeah.
00:03:38.120 But I don't know if I'd see it as an issue.
00:03:41.040 It's not something I've actually given that much thought to.
00:03:43.460 I'm sorry if that's not...
00:03:44.320 No, not a problem.
00:03:45.500 We're wondering also if you think Canadians should be wanting to have more children.
00:03:49.800 We're obviously not having many children as we were in the past, but, you know, we are having a population issue.
00:03:56.680 Our population is aging, and we're wondering if people think it would be wise for Canadians to have larger families.
00:04:03.200 I mean, I think that's very individual.
00:04:08.340 It's a lot harder, I think.
00:04:09.860 Things are more expensive.
00:04:11.260 It's a little more difficult.
00:04:12.760 People don't have as much support, I don't think.
00:04:15.100 Daycare, education, it's all pretty stressful.
00:04:18.920 I think it's because mainly the political, like, it's very unstable, the political arena.
00:04:26.260 Nobody has, like, really any confidence in, like, political officials, and we're having a lot of radical ideology being legislated and putting into effect.
00:04:38.040 Like, I was, like, going on my Instagram the other day, and I couldn't read a post because the new legislation.
00:04:43.900 And it wasn't anything, it was just a story about a Mexican, Mexico, something about Mexico.
00:04:49.760 So it wasn't anything so far left, so far right.
00:04:53.060 It was just, I don't really know why I didn't, wasn't able to read it.
00:04:56.560 But those type of nuances, I think, affect people's mindset about bringing people into the world, bringing new people in the world, having to deal with those things.
00:05:04.300 And it's really unstable right now in Canada.
00:05:06.960 We have, like, high inflation, and they said it's coming down.
00:05:10.840 Nobody really knows if that's happening.
00:05:13.060 There's a lot of uncertainty.
00:05:14.420 So I think that's basically, like, the foundation of why I think people might not want to have families and might not want to bring new people into the world.
00:05:22.300 Because there's a lot of uncertainties and things going on that we don't know when it's going to be fixed.
00:05:27.220 Why do you think it is that young Canadians just aren't having children anymore at the same rate they used to?
00:05:32.400 I don't know.
00:05:32.940 I think it's part of the culture.
00:05:33.940 But I think in terms of sustaining an economy or the way it's designed right now, it's important to maintain kind of that median.
00:05:41.120 Yeah, I mean, it should be concerning because just in terms of maintaining the structure of the economy, well, you need a certain amount of population for the amount of same in for out.
00:05:53.760 Right, exactly.
00:05:54.280 In a sense. So, yeah, it should be concerning. But I wasn't aware, to be frank with you.
00:05:57.640 I just think we need more of a population in Canada.
00:06:01.100 And why do you...
00:06:01.700 It spurs on our growth.
00:06:02.880 And why do you think it is that Canadians are not having as many children as they were in the past?
00:06:07.880 Part of it is financial because they can't even afford a home now.
00:06:11.780 And so then they delay having their children.
00:06:14.340 So do you think that there needs to be some solutions put in place that are designed to increase or to motivate young Canadians to have larger families?
00:06:23.660 Do you think that it should be a political issue?
00:06:26.060 Well, I think it rests actually with the poverty rates and dealing with poverty in Canada will be a first step.
00:06:33.080 I just came in January, so I don't have any...
00:06:34.880 Oh, yeah, you did. All right.
00:06:35.480 Yeah, I'm a student here.
00:06:36.300 I think it's education.
00:06:38.620 Education, or I guess it's a drug issue here.
00:06:41.000 Right.
00:06:41.400 Yeah.
00:06:42.020 Because I am from Nova Scotia. I am studying in CBU.
00:06:45.720 So there are too many druggists there.
00:06:48.400 I guess the world always needs people, right?
00:06:50.180 Yeah.
00:06:50.380 Jobs and whatever else, right?
00:06:51.980 So...
00:06:52.300 Housing and jobs and just general affordability, you think, is the main issue?
00:06:56.780 Absolutely.
00:06:57.080 So Canada's declining birth rates. It's at 1.3 and replacement is 2.1 children per woman.
00:07:04.660 And is that an issue that you're concerned about or not so much?
00:07:07.300 Not so much for me, but...
00:07:10.040 And why is that?
00:07:11.980 Because I feel like, I guess, children aren't really my concern.
00:07:16.220 And I know a lot of other women that also preface, like, work over children.
00:07:21.060 So I feel like we already have enough people on the planet.
00:07:25.980 Yeah, so you would say...
00:07:27.260 It may be more environmental, having a little less people.
00:07:29.700 So you would say that it's generally a positive outcome that most of the developed countries
00:07:35.340 are having fewer children than they used to in the past?
00:07:37.700 I guess so.
00:07:39.020 Well, unsurprisingly, the majority of people that we spoke to in Toronto
00:07:41.960 never even thought about Canada's declining fertility rate as an issue.
00:07:45.900 It wasn't something that crossed their minds.
00:07:47.800 However, when we did speak to them about it and when we gave them some more information,
00:07:50.520 they provided the reasons that most Canadians think of as to why this is an issue.
00:07:54.460 Housing affordability, general affordability, the cost of food, taxes.
00:07:58.880 All of that plays a role into Canada's declining fertility rate.
00:08:01.980 But isn't it strange that this is not an issue that most people are thinking about?
00:08:04.960 In my opinion, it should be top of mind for most people.
00:08:08.040 Mass immigration and the problems that mass immigration have brought to Canada
00:08:11.960 is a direct result of the fact that we're no longer having as many children.
00:08:15.500 We have to rely on immigrants, according to the government,
00:08:17.740 in order to solve our demographic problems because our birth rate is declining.
00:08:21.200 Let me know in the comments what you think are the reasons
00:08:23.100 as to why Canadians are not having as many children.
00:08:25.600 Is it the same as what you heard in the video here today?
00:08:28.340 That housing is too expensive?
00:08:29.880 That it's too difficult to get into the job market for too many Canadians?
00:08:33.680 Or is it another reason, perhaps?
00:08:35.420 Or is there perhaps something else that is driving the declining birth rates in this country?
00:08:39.180 If you want to see us do more content about this issue,
00:08:42.420 about the declining birth rates in Canada,
00:08:43.940 also let us know in the comments as well.
00:08:46.940 For now, signing off from downtown Toronto, Harrison Fong.
00:08:49.940 O scenario of theRyanKinshop.com
00:08:53.200 And we'll see you, I have a great deal on this scale of the aman figure.
00:08:56.860 It's about to come in and down by now.
00:08:57.540 All you need to know is that.
00:09:01.120 Byiliation of Toronto but you don't have a great deal.
00:09:03.680 Right.
00:09:06.680 You have various sorts of could-
00:09:09.700 Good luck.
00:09:11.180 You have got a good deal.
00:09:12.760 You have got more information here so you don't have to do anything,
00:09:15.680 against Toronto and you can talk to us again.
00:09:16.980 We'll see you guys in the in truck.