Gerald Heinrichs is a lawyer in Regina, Saskatchewan.Make America Pregnant Again. A Financial Times article slaps that label on recent pro-family programs announced by the US government. The Trump administration is considering $5,000 cash baby bonuses for every American new mother and a National Medal of Motherhood for women having 6 or more children.The US is not alone these days in wanting to encourage more babies. Russia and South Korea now pay baby bonuses to new mothers. Hungary's government says it will exempt mothers of three children from paying income tax. And politicians in India are boldly telling young couples to have three children. Of course, all of this is in response to years of low birth rates almost everywhere. A 2024 UN report says that the population replacement level is 2.1 live births per woman. The report says nearly one fifth of all countries "are experiencing what is sometimes referred to as 'ultra-low' fertility, with fewer than 1.4 live births per woman.” .KEENEY: The hollow virtues of the progressive Left.Canada is below that level. Statistics Canada reports that Canada's total fertility rate was 1.25 children per woman in 2024, a record low. The UN report predicts that 63 countries will see their population decline by 14% over the next 30 years.These statistics are causing some alarm. An article in Reason magazine calls the problem "The Depopulation Bomb.” And The Lancet Study warns there will be "emerging threats to economies, food security, health, the environment, and geopolitical security.”.Of course, there are exceptions to every statistic. Rural and Aboriginal families and various religious groups have more children than the average. Without them, Canada's birth rate would be even lower.In recent years, this birth-rate issue has been analyzed a lot. There are some prominent reasons why couples are having fewer children. An Epoch Times article lays out a list that includes difficulty getting housing, high cost of child care, job uncertainty, and "lack of success in finding the right partner.”.OLDCORN: Ding dong the witch is dead, Gondek’s exit gives Calgary hope.Surprising or not, widespread birth control is a factor. A New York Times article reports that much of the downward trend in birth rates "can be attributed to the substantial reductions in teenage pregnancies over the last several decades." The article cites statistics of 61.8 births per 1,000 15-to-19-year-olds in 1991 versus 12.7 births in 2024. That's a big change.Added to all this, more and more couples are altogether rejecting the idea of having children. The climate-action movement can take some of that blame. Rightly or wrongly, some people now believe that children must be shunned like large SUVs, meat diets, and monster homes. An NBC News story claims, "Science proves kids are bad for Earth. Morality suggests we stop having them." And an article in The Spectator argues that "Having a child is the grandest act of climate destruction.”.But one big reason for rejecting children is the modern trend for "me time": the craving for nicer holidays, bigger bank accounts, and better careers. According to some, having children pours vinegar on all of that. This issue is examined in many articles like "Why more couples are choosing a life without children" and "Why some women are proudly choosing a child-free life.” One editorial says that Canada has developed "a cultural normalizing of not having children.”Society has its own reasons though for wanting to sustain, if not increase, population. It's about carrying on the civilization and fueling the labour force. But governments have used money as the one-track motivator with things like cheaper daycare and baby bonuses. Recently, the US state of New Mexico announced a program to make daycare free for everyone. .GOLDBERG: The Liberals want an election — but they won’t get one .But the strange thing about money is that fertility rates decline as households get richer. The New York Times reports, "the statistics are very clear. As economies get richer, children get rarer." And the Times of London reports how career success and its delay on family formation have led to a "Big fall in birth rates for most-educated women.”.But is there another answer? Canada’s era of big families is still in our living memory. It was a time when every community had families with 5 or more children. For most of those families, there was never enough money, two careers were impossible, and fancy holidays were unthinkable. But some unexplainable spirit of adventure carried them forward. In many cases, the so-called problems vanished, and the family found a path to, arguably, a very special place of goodness.A truth can also be seen in the obituary pages. It is there that memorials attest to how children are "the greatest joy.” Or as one poet expressed it, "Life's longing for itself." .RUBENSTEIN: Anti-Semitic bigotry is now 'fashionable' in Canada.There are lots of opinions about having children. Elon Musk says we need a culture shift where we all "celebrate having kids.” That sounds like a good strategy for increasing Canada's birth rate. But in 2025, what political party will stand up for that?Gerald Heinrichs is a lawyer in Regina, Saskatchewan.
