Awakening to the Intergenerational Equity Debate in Canada

Abstract

An earlier study revealed that conflict over the issue of intergenerational equity (referring to equality in treatment for different generations) was apparent in the US media during the 1980s and early 1990s while attention to this issue was virtually non-existent in Canada. The focus for discussions on this issue is the distribution of the economic costs of an aging population. Specifically, with an aging population, the growth in elderly dependents is a significant concern for countries with pay-as-you-go public pension systems. This research analyzes public discussion of the intergenerational equity issue from 1993 to 1998 through content analysis of print media. The number of articles on this issue grew and peaked in 1996 with a sharp decline in 1997 and 1998. The issue of intergenerational equity surfaced in Canada during the mid-1990s with the fear that the Canada Pension Plan might run dry during the 2010s under then-current contribution rates. The pension issue serves as a flashpoint for recent concerns of intergenerational equity in Canada.