Population Change in Canada.
Kovacs, Zoltan B.
Population Change in Canada, 2nd ed. Roderic Beaujot and Don Kerr.
Oxford University Press, 2004. 367 pp. $59.70 sc.
Population Change in Canada is a comprehensive demographic study of
Canada from the pre-Confederation period to the present. The book is
divided into three parts: "The Population Processes";
"Growth, Distribution, and Aging"; and "Consequences of
Population Change." The main thesis of the authors is to
"[t]ake a systematic look at population change in Canada. This
includes interpreting past change and anticipating possible future
changes and their implications" (p. 4). Moreover, each part
presents itself with its own issues.
According to Beaujot and Kerr, the three components of population
change are mortality, fertility, and immigration. In regard to
mortality, there have been significant increases in life expectancy in
Canada within the past 140 years. Moreover, "[t]he major causes of
death have changed from infectious diseases to degenerative diseases
that mostly affect the older population" (p. 45). The most
prevalent causes of death today are cardiovascular disease and cancer.
The authors also note that one has to look at risk factors and treatment
factors when studying mortality. While it is evident that the latter has
made significant progress, the former plays an equal, if not more
important, role in the explanation of mortality. Individual behaviors
such as lifestyle, diet, and risk-taking affect mortality.
Socio-economic conditions also have a direct effect on mortality, as
does one's gender, age, and marital status. As deaths are occurring
later in the life cycle, Canada's aging population is facing
increased health care costs, and the government is facing choices
regarding whether to focus on curative or preventative approaches.
Beaujot and Kerr note that since neither approach necessarily reduces
costs, perhaps there should be a shift to spend more money on non-fatal,
debilitating diseases than on prolonging death due to chronic diseases
because "longer life does not translate directly into better health
..." (p. 62). The obvious ethical issue is how to minimize
one's disability before death. In other words, should mortality be
controlled as fertility is?
Fertility patterns have generally followed mortality patterns. One
can explain "variations in fertility ... in relation to three sets
of factors: the proximate factors (especially union formation and use of
contraceptives), the micro-level determinants (especially the value and
cost of children to their parents), and society-level factors
(particularly the organization of paid and unpaid work)" (p. 73).
The authors assert that these proximate factors have shaped our
identities and altered our relationships. Although fertility rates
remain relatively stable, women still share the heavier burden in unpaid
work, and their opportunity costs are higher than men's. The
solution lies in changing the structures of both unpaid and paid work.
As Beaujot and Kerr state, "both production and reproduction are
obviously important to the long-term welfare of the society. At issue is
the division of our time between production and reproduction ..."
(p. 93).
Among the population processes, "the most explicit attempts to
influence population trends have occurred in the area of international
migration" (p. 95). Approximately 60 percent of Canada's
foreign-born population reside in Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver.
Consequently, these metropolitan areas are experiencing the greatest
demographic, political, and economic growth. Subsequently, these net
migration patterns lead to regional disparities. The most salient theme
is to adopt policies that reduce economic inequalities between the
regions. However, "there is a basic conflict between attaining
overall economic efficiency and achieving regional development" (p.
151). There is a negation between maximizing the individual and
maximizing community welfare.
Nevertheless, Beaujot and Kerr acknowledge the consequences of
immigration to be increased diversity, growth of visible minorities, and
the changing linguistic distribution in favor of English (at the expense
of French). While there are socioeconomic differences between immigrants
and non-immigrants and between visible minority groups, the most
disadvantaged of Canada's citizens are its Aboriginal peoples. They
still have noticeably higher mortality rates (both in births and
deaths), and they are significantly more likely to report chronic health
problems than the rest of the population. Trovato attributes these
causes to the "geographic, socioeconomic and even social
psychological marginalization of many Aboriginal communities" (p.
272). As immigration levels increase in the future, so will the use of
"heritage languages." This, as the authors note, will result
in a decline in the use of the French language. "The official
languages are growing where they are in the majority ... and are
decreasing where they are in the minority" (p. 238).
In terms of the size and growth patterns of Canada's
population, the authors distinctly state that "there is no
demographic solution to aging. The aging of the population cannot be
prevented by replacement migration" (p. 169). As the fastest growth
in Canada's population is among those aged eighty and above, this
will unavoidably put strains on health and pension plans. Either
contributions will have to increase or benefits will have to decrease
both economically and politically sensitive propositions.
Population Change in Canada is a primary textbook highly
recommended for undergraduate students interested in Canada's
demography. However, the book can also be used as a quick reference
guide for demographers in need of particular statistical data.
Zoltan B. Kovacs
Department of Sociology
University of Alberta
Email: zkovacs@ualberta.ca
