Commentary
Canada is in the midst of an overdue national debate on immigration levels. We should take this moment to scrutinize some long-overlooked flaws in one of the most common arguments for high immigration: our aging population.
On its face, the aging population argument makes sense. Because of high life expectancy and low fertility rates, the proportion of the population made up of older age cohorts is growing. An influx of young newcomers could theoretically reverse this trend.
Like many quick policy fixes, this idea breaks down upon closer inspection.
In a 2003 paper, Canadian sociologist and demographer Roderic Beaujot states that “It is impossible to use immigration to prevent an increase in the population aged 65 and over as a ratio to the population aged 20-64.”…