| >>Population growth [...] can be incentivized by literally paying people more money to have Children. Some countries tried this approach with mixed results.[1] Given that we're both worried about the debt-to-GDP (i.e. profligate deficit spending by the federal and some provincial governments) I think the budgets are better spent attracting immigrants with skills, education and in many cases capital assets they bring to the country rather than baby bonuses. Quebec still pays a baby bonus[2] but a Stats Canada study[3] showed their fertility rate over four decades was only 1.59 vs. Ontario's 1.46 -- still well below a steady-state no-growth replacement rate of 2.1. >>And did it occur to you that perhaps our low birthrate has something to do with the increasing lack of opportunity to improve in this country? This plays a role, but a lot of economic thinking (rightly or wrongly) finds a strong correlation between how developed a country is and declining TFRs even when there is a boom period of economic growth and opportunity.[4][5][6] [1] https://www.prb.org/low-fertility-countries-tfr/ [2] https://www.rrq.gouv.qc.ca/en/programmes/soutien_enfants/pai... [3] https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/75-006-x/2018001/article... [4] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4255510/ [5] https://www.un.org/en/development/desa/population/events/pdf... [6] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Income_and_fertility |
In 1985 our population was 25 million, and today it is now 38 million. Most of that population growth can be attributed to mass immigration. But we have no new cities or towns. We are simply crowding ourselves out of the minimal amount of cities and arable land along a southern strip that we can inhabit.
Also I don't think Japan is a negative example of population decline. They are an example of a country being able to maintain its standard of living, productivity, and its economy despite a stagnant population.
I strongly believe that if population growth through mass immigration continues (and mostly likely will), standards will continue to worsen across most of the country.