>>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]
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