For generations, the Canadian covenant was straightforward: Work hard, play by the rules, and you’ll climb higher than your parents did. Merit, not inheritance, would determine success. That certainty is eroding.
Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre’s persistent claim that “Canada is broken” resonates because it captures a growing anxiety that effort no longer guarantees advancement. The sentiment transcends party lines.
In early 2025, Policy Horizons Canada (the federal government’s own foresight agency) released projections for 2040 where “upward social mobility is almost unheard of” and “downward social mobility might become the norm.” This scenario challenges the foundation of Canadian identity.
A long read but packed with data. Sadly this century will most certainly not belong to Canada or what remains of it.
