Advocacy: Exposing the Fallacy in the “Old vs. Young” Narrative

OUR ADVOCACY Team has been approached recently to talk about inequality between the generations. Whether it’s owning a home or having a steady income, there is a widespread sentiment that anyone over 50 today simply plucked the prize of financial security after the equivalent of a stroll up a grassy hillock while those who’ve more recently entered adulthood have had to scrabble for it up a mountainside with an anvil tied to their feet.

Whether we’re talking housing, employment or the ability to make ends meet, it’s time to realize that for many seniors, their golden years are shaping up to be anything but.

When my son was born, I remember thinking he’d have it made. His millennial generation would be ever so much smaller than mine. We, the baby boomers, would retire, and he’d face a veritable bidding war as companies vied for his services. But I hadn’t foreseen the extent to which automation would eliminate jobs. Nor had I envisaged the massive scale of outsourcing: manufacturing to Mexico, customer support to Michigan, and everyday tasks, ranging from pumping petrol to packing produce, to us.

The changes that turned my workforce predictions on their head haven’t just been cruel to my son’s generation, they’ve hurt many older Canadians, too. When we surveyed our members about their decision to retire, one in six revealed it was not a choice they made but one that was thrust upon them.

I’ve heard from many folks that when workplace layoffs occurred, theirs were the jobs in peril. Whether they were let go to protect the earnings of younger workers with families or downsized because their salaries were at the top of the pay scale, the result was the same. Their final push to save for retirement ended not with a sprint but with a wobble off to the wayside.

When it comes to house prices, there’s no denying many older homeowners can retire comfortably simply by selling their homes and downsizing, particularly if they’re willing to leave places like Toronto and Vancouver and retire elsewhere. While moving may pad the treasury, cashing in may strain or even sever social networks, and often decreases the daily social interactions that are key to maintaining mental acuity.

For the many Canadians who rent, the outlook is frequently grim. House prices and rental rates have been increasing across the country. For those living on a fixed pension or covering their expenses from interest earned on their savings, housing is increasingly unaffordable. Previous protections that kept rental increases at or close to the cost of inflation are eroding, with dire consequences for tenants of all ages.

And when it comes to the perils of poverty, seniors are not immune. One out of every four homeless shelter users in Canada is a senior; adults over 45 are the fastest growing population of food bank users in Toronto.

This is not to diminish the challenges faced by younger Canadians but to illustrate the fallacy of generational winners and losers. There is not an imbalance of benefits between the old and the young. There is an imbalance between the wealthy and the struggling. According to Statistics Canada, 25 per cent of single seniors live in poverty. And unlike younger generations, absent government intervention, they are unlikely ever to leave it.

We need to work for policies that don’t favour age over youth or vice versa but, instead, enable those of all ages to find housing, employment and a path out of poverty.