The Grey Tsunami

The Mark Radio ep. 17: What happens to Canada when the baby boomers reach their twilight years?

No matter who you are, you're getting older right now – the small consolation being that we all do it at the same rate. But according to new information from StatsCan, our country is getting older quicker than ever.

The stats show that by 2036, nearly one quarter of Canadians will be seniors. That's almost double the current number. Some worry that as the baby boomers reach their 60s and 70s, they'll be retiring from the work force, sapping the Canada Pension Plan, and burdening the health care system.

So, are we verging on a Malthusian catastrophe where we no longer have the resources to care for our aging population, or will the seniors of the future be a healthier and more productive breed than the seniors of today?

On the show this week, host Chris Mitchell speaks with three experts about Canada's aging population from three different perspectives.

First up, David K. Foot, professor of economics at the University of Toronto and author of Boom, Bust, and Echo, the best-selling book that explains how looking at our changing demographics can help us understand the direction Canada is heading.

Also on the show is Anne Martin-Matthews, scientific director for the Institute af Aging at the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, about how we need to rethink health care to deal with the imminent influx of elderly patients.

Finally, it's Ito Peng, associate dean of Interdisciplinary and International Affairs at the University of Toronto, on what Canada can learn from Japan, the world's "oldest" country, when dealing with an aging population.

(Run-time: 30 minutes.)