There are two principal ways for a country to grow its population: through natural population growth or through immigration. Canada’s fertility rate has fallen to 1.26, far below the replacement level of approximately 2.1. Before talking about increasing Canada’s population, we should be asking some fundamental questions: 1. Why are Canadians having fewer children? 2. ⁠Why has life become so unaffordable? 3. ⁠And how do we address the growing pressures on our health care, housing, education and other essential infrastructure? Responsible and balanced immigration has always played an important role in Canada. But immigration should not become a substitute for addressing the affordability pressures that are making it increasingly difficult for Canadians to start and raise a family.