4 — Sunday, July 10, 1988 ~ North Shore News IN MOST respects, I am one of that five per cent of Cana- dians who think there should be fewer people in the True North, not more. Yet there are certain bleak economic truths that have to be faced about the future — namely how to finance it. That is, who will pay when’we all turn grey? And beyond that there is the question of spirit. The current success of this coun- try derives entirely from a certain adventurous attitude. [t might tion, it guarantees an ever-harden- ing conservatism. If you arrest growth and reverse it, sooner or later down the road you get a small, grey population clinging to its prerogatives. Academics studying demographics predict that early in the next century, Canada’s popu- lation will begin to age rapidly, then slowly dwindle. Specifically, if current downward fertility trends persist, the Canuck population is expected to peak at roughly 33 million in about the year 2031, and then drain back to between 12 and 16 million by the middle of the next century.”’ seem to have been imported origi- nally from the British Isles, but there is much more to it than that now. The type of people who arrive on these shores are the ones with the drive and determination it takes to undertake a personal od- yssey. | don’ t think it is crazy to sug- gest that the mongrel Canuck gene poo! gets infusions of fresh energy every time another wave of im- migrants arrives. It is not just good for us, it is i probably excellent for us. i If there is any glory to be had in nation-building, it ought at least to be tied to something more impor- tant than ho-hum territoriality. Canada, as we have all noticed, is evolving into the world’s first true multi-racial, multi-cultural, even multi-lingual country. Perhaps no bolder social ex- periment could be tried. With that in mind, the ‘‘fewer the better’’ schoo! of thought doesn’t hold up so well. Not only does it preclude further diversifica- | Feature Special NUGGET Specifically, if ite current downward fertility trends persist, the Canuck population is expected to peak at roughly 33 million in about the year 2031, and then drain back to between 12 and 16 million by the middle of the next century. Since the baby boom peak in 1959, when the rate of population increase hit 3.9 children per woman, our reproduction levels have dropped steadily to the pres- ent 1.9, Speaking purely selfishly, 1 think a decline in population is great news. I mean, have you gone to a pro- vincial campsite in the last few years or tried to find moorage on a good Sunday afternoon anywhere within 30 miles of Vancouver? Yet a taste for solitude is, after all, a luxury that can be indulged by few of the world’s people, clustered together as they are in gargantuan urban heaps. And I ought to be ashamed for being so greedy, Local POTATOES With the glaring exception of the Indian reserves and rural New- foundland — and now, suddenly again, the Prairies — Canada isa place of privilege. For most of us, to be a Cana- dian is an elitist experience in itself. We have mort land per person than anybody on earth except maybe the Greenland Eskimos and the Aussies. Our standard of tiving is among the highest, of course. Our economy is ticking over at a lively (if centralized) pace and we stand on the verge of entering a trade partnership with the U.S. that is the envy of the world. As pollution levels go, we are not as bad off as we deserve to be, considering the churtishness of our attitude toward our fabulous natu- ra] heritage. . 4nd even though our parliamen- tary system is a de facto oligarchy between election days, a modern liberal democracy is still a damn sight better place to be than a police state. Keeping all this in mind, it would be nice to be able to main- tain Canada in the lifestyle to which she has become accustomed — well into the lifetimes of our grandchildren, at least. We can’t do that by simply Iet- ting ourselves atrophy. Nor can we reasonably expect fewer and fewer overburdened young people to carry more and more pensioners on their backs. The dilemma facing Canadians as the postwar generation reaches its mid-life crisis is fairly stark, Either we are going to go back ' to raising large families, or we are going to have to bring in a lot more immigrants to take up the- slack. Otherwise we're not going to be able to afford to maintain the ex- pensive little upscale social system we're getting away with at the moment. I for one don't want any more kids. I don’t know of anyone much older than me in their right mind who wants any more either. Bring i in the immigrants, | say. Put ’em to work. Start generating some cash flow because that tax burden is going to get heavy. Grand Master Simon’s EXERCISE DISTINCTLY DIFFERENT Fun, Fitness, Fulfillment Now offering special _ Children’s Classes. NORTH VAN VAN-KINGSWAY 985-9165 875-6363 1:00-10:00 p.m. Monday Thru Friday AIL I this for + $5900, ‘per r couple! Mon-Thurs - + reservations a must Call collect 947-2200 . Summer Impressions Fashion Show ® Friday, July 15, 7:30 p.m. © Grand Court e Miss North Shore Fashion Pageant contestants © Reserved seating tickets available now from participating merchants Sun. (2