What Will Canada Look Like In 2060?
By Rauf Muhammad
How's Our Population?
As of the year 2011, the Canadian Census has counted a total population of 33,476,688. Now, in the year 2015, our population has risen to 35,871,000, an estimated growth of 2.3 million. So what will our population look like in 45 years? Will we gain refugees? Will we lose skilled workers? What will Canada look like in 2060?
Canadian Immigration
What is Immigration?
Immigration is when a person(s) leaves his country to settle down in another country (immigrationassistant.co.uk). "Marshall left Norway to live in America" is an example of immigration.
Type of Immigrants
Refugee: People who cannot return to home country because they face, torture, risk of life, religious persecution, cruel treatment or punishment.
Skilled worker: These people include health care workers, skilled trades, information technologists, financial management. Their jobs also help society function.
Business Immigrants: These types of immigrants are those who are usually entrepreneurs and investors. These people are self-employed in cultural, athletic or agricultural activities.
Family Immigrants: Spouse, common-law partner and dependent children. They usually come for family reunions.
The Year 2060
In the year 2060, the population of Canada is predicted to reach somewhere around 45-48 million. Between now and 2060, I believe population growth will have slowed due to continued low fertility rates, and an increasing amount of senior citizens. Immigration from Asia, Africa, and Latin America will continue to drive Canada’s population growth.
Demography of Canada in 2060
Canada faces a big demographic shift over the next 45 years, with a growing number of seniors. The baby boomers (those born from 1945 -1965) will reach retirement age over the next twenty years (CBC). That will raise the number of seniors in the population to an estimated 23% by 2030, which is the year the youngest baby boomers turn 65. This also means that by that time, the number of seniors in Canada will eventually surpass the number of children. Since the rest of our population is not growing at the same rate, our work force will slow over time, which will create challenges for employers in finding workers to replace the baby boomers as they stop working.
So What's the Solution?
The solution to Canada's aging population and decreased work force is work out our issues with the Aboriginal population and work together. After all, Canada’s Aboriginal population growth is soaring, having grown 20 per cent between 2006 and 2011, meanwhile the rest of the population grew only by 5.8 percent during this time (CTVNEWS). Working with the First Nations can benefit us greatly because they can help us increase the work force population with their amount of youth and "baby boomers".
How Can We Work Together?
In order to work side-by-side with the Aboriginals, the first thing we must do treat them as if they are one of us, with equity. There are many stereotypes out there, including how they don't work or pay their taxes or are drunk, lazy bums, all of which that need to stop. We must also provide them with money for proper schools instead of putting their children in reservation schools, which are schools with the sole purpose of separating children from the the influence of their families and culture and assimilate them into the dominant Canadian culture.
Whether its now or 30 years from now, one thing is definitely for sure and that is that we will face the challenges that our parents and grandparents never even imagined we would face. As Canadians, we need to stop the discrimination. Let's face these issues as an equal nation.