Population
- "Religiosity, ethnic makeup cited as Canadian birthrate falls far below U.S." (The Canadian Press)
- "Immigration critical to Canadian population growth: census" (C.B.C. News)
People, people... stop freaking out.
The last time I checked, all current theories of population growth agree on the same basic diagram.
As a human population becomes more educated and more technologically sophisticated, fewer people die of preventable diseases or accidents. The birth rate and death rate at first run parallel to each other, but the death rate eventually starts to drop as the multiple children once needed to ensure that the entire family survived first become unnecessary, then a liability as the population moves from an agrarian economy to one based on industry and information-technology, from reimbursement in food and barter goods to reimbursement in currency and legal tender, and children become dependants rather than potential workers. Inevitably, at Stage Four, population growth levels off and then begins a slow slide as the birth and death rates once again begin to run parallel to each other, this time at the low end of the scale. The birth rates then drop below death rates and the population begins to shrink from it's centuries-long boom.
Now, on a global scale, this inevitably means that First World countries will cease to grow their established populations. Countries trapped in Stage Two or Three, whose populations are still breeding like rats, will have a massive surplus of population. Those people will need to relocate in order to be able to live out their natural lives. They will of course relocate to First World countries, who will suddenly be short on workers as the aged and retired begin to outnumber the productive workers in the First World. The First World countries will desperately need the new blood, and have to let immigrants in; this will alleviate the surplus population in the rest of the world, allowing their populations to reach Stages Four and Five more quickly as their excess population continues to leave and new technologies continue to force the death rate lower. Eventually, the number of humans populating Earth will drop down to a number that can survive on the Earth's remaining resources, returning to a state of equilibrium with the planet that spawned us... providing, of course, that we don't kill ourselves off by mismanaging our populations, poisoning ourselves, nuking ourselves, or fighting to the death in further global wars.
Locally, Canada's established population is going to just barely keep its numbers constant while new immigrants move in to take vacant jobs. Then the new immigrants will just barely keep their numbers constant as they adapt to the lifestyle currently only enjoyed by the First World nations. Remember all those Italians who moved into Toronto with their massive families during the 1950's? Their kids aren't keeping up with the tradition of having huge families. My own parents both hail from traditional Catholic family backgrounds, which meant families of 9 or more children. I however, have only two siblings, and I'm not about to spawn (I had the clip taken out of the rifle before I turned 21). Remember the Chinese families that moved to Canada to help work on the railways? Those families of eight or nine kids apiece gave way to families of only two or three children. The same will happen with every immigrant family that relocates to Canada. The first generation adapts to the new lifestyle, the second and third generations become part of it. Globally, the population will eventually drop to a number that can survive on the Earth's remaining resources, as excess populations move around and settle where there is space for them.
Personally, I see this all as a positive trend.
Why all the uproar over the census?
Well, for one thing, either Caucasians are worried about becoming extinct, or racists are worried about being unable to find new recruits in a world where whites are a minority in this country, or people are just baffled that this situation would occur. I have no idea which. Either way, the result is a sort of knee-jerk, bug-eyed reaction to those reports among Caucasians, who really should know better than to panic.
Additionally, the reports have cited more widespread addiction to religion as being a factor in the U.S.'s higher birth rates. With educational standards being less stringent and strict nuclear-family rules more strictly enforced as a result of rampant and unchecked religious addiction, the United States is finding itself mired in Stage Three. Its population is still growing. Now, this is troubling, as it means that there are going to continue to be more Americans being born than Canadians and Europeans.
As a solution to the problem that appears to be the more important one, I suggest this: Lets' all stop pandering to religious fanatics and start forcing the Americans to teach their brats how to use condoms. Let's stop making excuses for the behaviour of the U.S. in underfunding its public schools and force them to start taking educational standards more seriously. Let's stop making excuses to avoid confronting the Americans about their irresponsible behaviour in not curbing their population growth. Let's stop making excuses to avoid confronting the Americans about their irresponsible behaviour in not allowing more immigrants into the country. Let's get them to start fulfilling their obligations to help lower the world's population.
Hey, it's either that, or we start colonising space now. And we're a little short on colony ships.
That is all.