The baby boomer generation, dominating Canadian politics and the economy for 65 years, has been overtaken by the Generation Z population.
Baby boomers were born between 1946 and 1965 while Gen Z members were born between 1981and 1996.
Baby boomers made up about 40 per cent of the population from the mid-60s to the mid-70s. Now they are just under 25 per cent.
As of July 1 last year, baby boomers currently aged 55 to 77 years were outnumbered by Gen Z, according to Statistics Canada.
The shift in population has a profound impact on Canada.
The baby boomer generation influenced every aspect of Canadian life.
This age group required construction of considerably more schools, hiring more teachers, influenced forms of entertainment with lasting impact on politics and the economy.
Politically, baby boomer votes were critical at election time.
Baby boomers provided a steady and growing supply of labour for the growing economy and a growing consumer market.
Some early baby boomers had the “Depression mentality” baggage of reluctance to take business and employment risks while the later ones were often big spenders.
The shift in demographics has been slow. Alberta in 2014 was the first province to have more Gen Z members than baby boomers.
The data places the average age of Canadians at 40.6 years, a decline of .3 years.
The latest move in the shift occurred mainly from the inflow of immigrants and non-permanent residents whose 1.158 million was 9.8 per cent of the population. Most were in the Gen Z age group.
The larger number of younger immigrants will reduce pressure on the tight labour market.
Gen Z and succeeding generations grew up with computer skills and became familiar with technology at an early age.
They missed experiencing vast advancements in technology that baby boomers experienced. Those advancements gave baby boomers an appreciation for the miracle of technology.
Baby boomers arrived when radio was becoming strong in communications along with newspapers, only to see at third medium of communications, television, arrive and change our lives, then the Internet.
With TV, people went from making their own entertainment — music, board games, walking, just talking — to sitting and watching the ‘boob tube.’
Baby boomers at the movies went from black and white film to variations of colour with each change an improvement.
Generations since then take coloured movies and a plenty of other lifestyle features for granted.
To accommodate Gen Z, restaurant chains have increased the spicy taste and variety of food.
But the baby boomer generation is not finished influencing matters yet.
The fastest-growing segment of the population is 65 and over at 7.6 million and comprising 18.9 per cent of the population.
The needs of this group, not too long ago at 13 per cent of the population, will require greater development of long-term care and hospitals.
Will the reduced numbers of boomers have enough influence to ensure these care issue are resolved?
Ron Walter can be reached at ronjoy@sasktel.net
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the position of this publication.
