If you want to see the consequences of government budget choices, look at how Canadians rate their lives.

For nearly two decades, the World Happiness Report has asked people around the world to score their life satisfaction from zero to ten. For younger Canadians, the trend is alarming.

Canadian research shows average life satisfaction among those under 30 has dropped from 7.6 in the late 2000s to 6.4 in recent years. That decline ranks Canada among the countries with the steepest drops globally — alongside places like Lebanon and Afghanistan.

The latest data are worse still. Among those under 25, Canada now ranks 72nd in the world — behind the United States, Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom.

At the same time, older Canadians remain relatively well off. The most recent 2024 data show that those aged 60 and over rank 8th globally — 50 places higher than younger Canadians.

That gap should be setting off alarm bells. Yet governments have been slow to respond. 

Across party lines, predictable costs increases for seniors’ medical care and income supports are crowding out investments in housing, education, child care, and good jobs. When budgets still don’t stretch far enough, governments run deficits — leaving younger generations to pick up the tab.

We should be proud that Canadians live longer and have access to care in old age. The problem isn’t supporting seniors, it’s failing to plan for the costs of aging. Governments have not matched the rise in spending on seniors with new revenue from that generation. The result is too little to invest in the foundations of wellbeing for younger people — an imbalance that many Canadians would never accept within our own families.

It doesn’t have to be this way.

In Quebec, the drop in young people’s life satisfaction is about half that of the rest of Canada. Policy helps explain why: more affordable child care, lower tuition, more generous parental leave, and lower housing costs compared to BC and Ontario all reduce pressure on young people.

These choices show a better path is possible.

We can plan for population aging and modernize how we raise revenue. That would protect care for older Canadians while freeing up resources to invest in affordable homes, education, and family supports.

If we don’t, we risk leaving behind a country where governments protected the wellbeing of older generations — while dimming the futures of their children and grandchildren.