Show Notes
Dr. Paul Kershaw and Angie Chan chat with federal NDP leader Jagmeet Singh about tackling the massive inequalities faced by younger Canadians. This far-ranging, in-depth interview also touches on:
How lowering the voting age could strengthen our democracy
The need for greater investment in the building blocks of a healthy society--such as safe, stable housing and jobs--which contribute more to our overall wellbeing than the medical care we receive
How the federal government should apply an intergenerational lens when making decisions, akin to how budgets already must assess the impact of policies and programs on women and gender diverse people
How we can shine more light on generational unfairness hidden in federal budgets
Our goal to create a Minister for Generational Fairness
... and buckets of pierogi!
Our website has a full transcript of this episode. A video with the complete interview is also on our YouTube channel, where you'll get to admire Mr. Singh's impressive bookshelf.
PS: If you're interested in the discussion about how long it takes a young person to save a down payment across Canada, check out our Straddling the Gap 2022 report, in which we crunch the numbers for housing affordability in all provinces and many cities.
Join our network to grow our power to tackle generational unfairness!
Highlights:
"One of the biggest contributors to us being healthy is the fact that we've got a home, and that we can eat food, or that we are not in poverty," Singh says. "We are better as a community when we take care of each other... If we care about healthcare...we also need to then make sure we care about our neighbours that aren't able to get housed, who can't find a place to rent or to own. We're also really not gonna be a healthy society if people are living in poverty. If people can't get childcare so that they can go to work and then they can support themselves and their families."
"We have to take care of our seniors, but we also need to make sure that young people have a fair shot, young families have a fair shot ,and that there isn't this inequality that exists right now," he says. "The way we do it is we are responsible with where we spend our resources, and we also need to look at increasing revenue in a responsible way as well."
More from Generation Squeeze's Hard Truths
Mark Carney’s economic plan for Building Canada Strong is a medium-term project but Canadians shouldn’t have to wait years for meaningful financial relief. Generation Squeeze founder, Dr. Paul Kershaw explains how small changes to Canada’s federal budget could easily unlock the funds needed to provide greater and more widespread affordability measures for Canadians who genuinely need help now—and do so far more effectively than simply waiting for long-termeconomic growth to arrive.
“Is Canada Failing the Next Generation?” Generation Squeeze founder, Dr. Paul Kershaw joins award-winning lead columnist at the National Observer, Max Fawcett on his podcast Power Lines. This is a replay of that episode. Their conversation sheds light on the growing generational divide in Canada and explains how reforming retirement income supports might be Canada's best shot at restoring affordability for all!
Government budgets shape how we live – and how we feel. The consequences of government policy choices can be seen in new research on happiness. While, baby boomers remain relatively happy, the average life satisfaction of Canadians under age 30 is in steep decline. Gen Squeeze founder, Dr. Paul Kershaw unpacks why young Canadians are increasingly miserable and what we can do about it.
Old Age Security is the largest program expense in the federal budget and is a driving force behind the federal deficit. A new national poll shows 3/4 of Canadians, including seniors, support reform so that benefits are reduced for higher-income households, and the savings are repurposed to eliminate seniors’ poverty and improve affordability for younger generations. Generation Squeeze founder, Dr. Paul Kershaw explains why OAS reform was once politically untouchable and how things have changed.
Canada’s National Housing Strategy is the federal government’s main plan for tackling housing affordability. The strategy expires in 2027. If it isn’t renewed, federal housing spending will drop by more than half. Gen Squeeze founder, Dr. Paul Kershaw unpacks what’s at stake and why a housing system that works for the next generation can’t be built on ever-rising home prices for the last.