Generation Squeeze's Hard Truths

Mark Carney’s economic plan for Building Canada Strong is a medium-term project but Canadians shouldn’t have to wait years for meaningful financial relief. Generation Squeeze founder, Dr. Paul Kershaw explains how small changes to Canada’s federal budget could easily unlock the funds needed to provide greater and more widespread affordability measures for Canadians who genuinely need help now—and do so far more effectively than simply waiting for long-termeconomic growth to arrive.

Government budgets shape how we live – and how we feel. The consequences of government policy choices can be seen in new research on happiness. While, baby boomers remain relatively happy, the average life satisfaction of Canadians under age 30 is in steep decline. Gen Squeeze founder, Dr. Paul Kershaw unpacks why young Canadians are increasingly miserable and what we can do about it.

Canada’s National Housing Strategy is the federal government’s main plan for tackling housing affordability. The strategy expires in 2027. If it isn’t renewed, federal housing spending will drop by more than half. Gen Squeeze founder, Dr. Paul Kershaw unpacks what’s at stake and why a housing system that works for the next generation can’t be built on ever-rising home prices for the last.

Most gains from economic growth today flow to prioritiestied to older Canadians — retirement income support (Old Age Security) and medical care — leaving less for housing, child care, post-secondary education, and climate action. This is happening even as younger Canadians pay more income tax to support seniors than boomers did when they were younger.In this episode of Hard Truths Pod, Generation Squeeze founderDr. Paul Kershaw explains why essential services — like health care, education, and child care — should remain universal at the point of entry and why cash subsidies (like Old Age Security) work best when they’re targeted based on need, not just age.

It’s no secret, GenZ and Millennial Canadians are finding it harder and harder to afford the basics: rent, child care fees and tuition. In this episode of the Hard Truths pod, Generation Squeeze founder, Dr. Paul Kershaw introduces a new study by Generation Squeeze: “Medical Budgets in an Aging Canada”. He points out a hard truth and draws an important connection: The rising costs of medical care for retirees is crowding out the investments needed to address the affordability challenges faced by younger generations.

The Generation Squeeze analysis of Canada’s Budget 2025 is getting a lot of media attention! That’s because we’re pointing out a hard truth: The fiscal imbalance in budget 2025 began decades ago when governments failed to plan for the rising costs of an population aging. And as predicted, these costs are now crowding out space for investments to help younger and working Canadians build homes, raise families, and strengthen productivity. In today’s episode we’re showcasing last week’s episode of CBC’s Day 6 with Host Brent Bambury who invited Gen Squeeze founder and executive director, Dr. Paul Kershaw to speak to the structural inequity in government spending that is hitting younger Canadians the hardest. Paul describes what might be a rare moment in politics: One in which politicians on both the left and the right seem to agree on the solution to the problem.

The Canadian Association of Retired Persons (CARP) proposes an increase to Canada's Old Age Security but it won’t lift most poor seniors out of poverty. Yet, it would pad the pockets of financially secure retirees and add more than $3-billion to the deficit. In this episode of the Hard Truths pod, our social media coordinator Jennifer Fox joins Generation Squeeze founder, Dr. Paul Kershaw as he explains how some politicians and lobbyists wrap themselves in the language of helping poor seniors, but what they’re really doing is enriching households with six-figure retirements — all while governments rack up massive deficits and hand the bill to younger Canadians.

This week's episode is a feed swap with Aborsh – A podcastabout abortion in Canada, by playwright and podcaster Rachel Cairns.What do abortion and housing have in common? Well, they areboth recognized as human rights by the UN and multiple other international organizations and agreements. But you wouldn’t necessarily know it from living in Canada as the ongoing housing crisis locks people into unaffordable living situations. In this episode, Rachel explores the gendered impacts of the housing affordability crisis and how it impacts reproductive decisions, with insights from the Women’s National Housing and Homelessness Network, the National Right to Housing Network, and the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives.

Canadian politicians are sidestepping the most important – and politically dangerous – question in our housing debate: Should home prices rise, stall or fall? Until we answer it, we can’t fix what’s broken in Canada’s housing system. In this episode of the Hard Truths pod, our AI host Jenna talks with Generation Squeeze founder, Dr. Paul Kershaw as he explains why politicians continue to dodge the question: They fear backlash from older homeowners whose wealth is tied to high prices and younger owners who risk going under water if prices fall.

Emma Buchanan of Visual Change Video sits down with Gen Squeeze Founder Paul Kershaw to discuss Elxn 45 through the lens of generational fairness and Gen Squeeze’s election priorities: housing, pollution pricing, tax cuts, and balancing the budget (and trust us, the last two are more interesting than you think!).We seek to understand:- The magical thinking behind party promises to cut taxes and increase spending.- The surprising budget item that overshadows all other federal spending and why parties aren't talking about it.- Where parties are falling short on what Canadians really need to address the unaffordability crisis. And;- What happening to Mr. Poilievre's "carbon tax election", and what's now at stake to protect our kids from harmful pollution.In an era of “Trump-style” political turmoil and fake news, we use our Dupe-o-Meter to dig into each party’s promises to discover if there’s substance beyond the slogans, so voters know what’s really on offer.Learn more:Gen Squeeze’s 2025 Election Guide

As election day approaches, housing affordability and access are top of mind for many British Columbians. The BC NDP, Green, and Conservative parties acknowledge the severity of the crisis, but they offer very different plans to tackle it. We spoke about those differences with Thom Armstrong, CEO of BC’s Cooperative Housing Federation. We also dig into a few of the key strengths and weaknesses in housing platforms that matter most for younger and future generations. Dig deeper Our BC Election Housing Report Card Housing Central’s BC Election Platform Analysis Our full BC Voters Guide

Canada's outdated, underfunded parental leave system is failing too many families. UNICEF's Lisa Wolff explains why one in three infants is falling through the cracks in this system, and how we can give all children a good start in life, by giving their parents adequate time off and income to care for them. Dig Deeper UNICEF Canada's parental leave campaign Generation Squeeze's family policy solutions "Helping our kids thrive is a shared responsibility" by Andrea Long, Gen Squeeze Senior Director of Research & Knowledge Mobilization

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau sat down with Gen Squeeze Founder Paul Kershaw for a live show with our supporters and allies in Vancouver. They delved into the 2024 Budget's focus on "Fairness for Every Generation," as well as housing, child care, climate change, deficits, and the challenge of protecting healthy retirements without sacrificing the wellbeing of younger and future Canadians. Dig Deeper Slides from the event with graphics ⁠Prime Minister Trudeau's budget announcement video, which ends with a plea to older generations: "We can't let them down."⁠ Support our call for an Act to Safeguard the Wellbeing of Present and Future Canadians Our take on Budget 2024 Leger x Post Media report that found most Gen Z & Millennials agree that politicians are more interested in protecting interests of older generations and that previous generations are ‘rigging the system’. Previous Hard Truths episodes with NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh and Green Party Leader Elizabeth May