1. Canada’s birth & death rate have dropped steadily over the past 30 years Canada’s population is getting older In 2020, 1/5 Canadians will be above 65 years of age Life expectancy increased from 45 years old in 1900 to 79 years old in 2000

2. The increasing numbers of elderly people put immense strains on social and medical services The age structure of Canada’s population is one of the main factors the federal government considers when deciding on the number of immigrants Canada should accept each year Approximately 200 000/year

3. The main difficulty the government faces is attracting young, skilled workers to offset the aging workforce

4. Currently, the largest portion of Canada’s population is dependent on the younger age groups This places tremendous pressure upon the financial resources of Canada eg. Health care, CPP The younger generations, with fewer workers than dependents, will have to pay for those who fall within the dependency ratio baby boom = 65+ years old