"Net international migration continues to be the main engine of population growth in Canada, accounting for about two-thirds of the annual increase in 2005/2006."

~Statistics Canada, The Daily, Sept. 2006, Canada’s Population.~

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The Vanier Institute of the Family
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Demographics

School Closures

Abortion & the Demographic Shift

Statistics

Imagine a world in which couples no longer had children. PD James did in her bestselling novel, The Children of Men that was made into a major motion picture in 2007. Her descriptions of children’s parks being empty, school closures occurring, and the general malaise that set into a culture that no longer propagated itself was chilling to say the least.

Canada may never see the day when there are no more children, but we have arrived at a time when children are not so readily accepted and in which having large families is considered an anomaly. In fact, our replacement rate has reached all time lows hovering just slightly above 1.5 children per couple. The 2006 Census showed that the number of live births for every 1,000 people plunged by 25.4 per cent between 1993 and 2005. A society needs at least 2.1 children in order to replace itself and thrive.

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School Closures

Much like the scenario described in the novel Children of Men, we are experiencing school closures on a scale never seen before in Canada’s history. As an example, Ontario has already shut down 110 schools and plans to close 300 more this year due to a loss of 90,000 students in the last six years. The Ontario Ministry of Education predicts that the province will suffer a further loss of 100,000 students by the end of 2010.

In British Columbia, the school system has seen a loss of over 57,000 students since 1997 and a total of 139 school closures in the last seven years.

This is not good news for Canada as a nation; repercussions are already being felt in the economic sector.

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Abortion & the Demographic Shift

Considering our below replacement rates, abortion becomes an even more tragic reality as we continue to lose approximately 300 preborn Canadians each day. Reflect for a moment on the reality that since 1969 we are missing three million Canadian citizens, people who would otherwise be contributing to our society, filling our schools and institutes of higher learning, offering their talents in the job market and paying taxes to assist our nation’s health and well being.

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Statistics

According to the 2006 Census, Canada's population is aging rapidly, presenting serious concerns for the economy and the sustainability of the national health care system. Very low birth rates and attitudes towards childrearing are key contributors to the population decline.

• Statistics Canada, 2006 Census states that the number of people over age 64 has increased by 11.5% in the last 5 years.
• Those younger than 15 years old make up only 17.7% of the population, a record-breaking low for Canada.
• By 2022 it is predicted that "seniors will outnumber children in every province", and by 2031 the median age will be 44.
• Statistics Canada Daily notes, "The two main factors behind the population aging are the nation's low fertility rate and increasing life expectancy."
• At present, the average birth rate is at a low of 1.59 children per woman. A healthy replacement birth rate is 2.1 children per women.
• The number of live births for every 1,000 people plunged by 25.4% between 1993 and 2005.
• Most of the industrialized world is experiencing the same decline.
• The massive increase in immigration necessary to counter the population loss will not be easy to achieve.
• International migration gained in importance and has accounted for more than 60% of Canada's population growth since 2001. Comparatively, it represented 46.2% of the country's demographic growth from 1990 to 1995. (1)
• According to medium-growth scenarios of Statistics Canada's most recent demographic projections, the number of deaths will exceed the number of births by around 2030. At that point, net international migration would become the only factor in Canada's population growth. (2)