Intergenerational Fairness Day has arrived

Join us in marking a new worldwide day of action  

Today, November 16, 2023, is the first global Intergenerational Fairness Day. Join our inaugural community call today at 11 am PST/1 pm EST to learn how you can support the global movement for a fairer future where all generations can thrive.

The urgent need to reverse the deteriorating well-being of younger and future generations stretches beyond Canada. Voices from the US, Germany, UK, Netherlands, Japan, Nigeria, and Australia as well as United Nations Foundation Next Generation Fellows have joined together to call on governments to preserve what is sacred – a healthy childhood, home, and planet – so that we can all be proud of the legacy we leave for those who follow. 

Generational fairness means young and old alike have the chance to thrive, while being good ancestors to those who follow in their footsteps. Generations care for one another within families and strive to create a better future for their kids and grandkids. We're calling for the same intergenerational solidarity and long-term planning from our governments. 

International partners agree that governments around the world focus on solving short-term problems with little regard for long-term sustainability, whether it be natural resources, government spending, or investment in the futures of younger and future generations. These actions violate the intergenerational golden rule: treat other generations as you want your own to be treated. 

Here in Canada, younger people are struggling to afford housing, raise families, and cope with an increasingly unpredictable climate. The reasons for this have less to do with the failings of younger Canadians, than their treatment by older ones through policies made years ago. For several decades, governments made short-sighted policy decisions that are now eroding Canada's promise to younger and future generations. This harm wasn’t intentional, yet we failed to change course once the risks became clear and predictable. 

To mark Intergenerational Fairness Day, we’re calling on the Government of Canada to create a federal Task Force on Generational Fairness to tackle the root causes of many policy crises today, and restore Canada’s fading promise for younger and future generations. The Task Force will shine a light on readily available solutions, and hold Canadians and their governments accountable for implementing them. 

Gen Squeeze founder Paul Kershaw is on Parliament Hill today to meet with key officials about the Task Force, and why it’s an important step for Canada to take on this global day of action. We’re also holding a press conference at Ottawa’s National Press Theatre, to bring Canada-wide attention to intergenerational fairness and the role a Task Force can play in fixing it. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3TTscg8mS8

A Task Force is the tool we need to clean up past policy messes and make sure new policies help people of all ages thrive, today and for generations to come. We hope you’ll lend your voice to support this call. A bigger choir will help to make sure that our elected representatives get in harmony with the urgent need to restore Canada’s promise to younger and future generations, and repair the legacy we’re leaving to our kids and grandkids.   

In the coming weeks, our podcast will be highlighting what some other countries around the world are doing to advance intergenerational fairness. Leaders from the Intergenerational Fairness Day coalition will be joining us to talk about the challenges we share, and what we can learn from each other on tactics and solutions. Following the example of our earlier inspiring podcast with Wales Future Generations Commissioner Derek Walker, stay tuned for episodes with generational fairness champions in Australia, the UK and the US.

Today our international partners are launching the Intergenerational Fairness Day podcast on Apple podcast, Spotify, and Google Podcasts. The UK's Intergenerational Foundation is also kicking off a blog series about what our partners are doing around the world.

Thanks for reading. We hope to see you later today on the call!

Andrea Long is Senior Director of Research and Knowledge Mobilization for Gen Squeeze. She has more than 20 years of experience in policy analysis, research and knowledge mobilization on health and social issues, including housing and homelessness, poverty, social determinants of health, and health in all policies.