Elon Musk, the tech mogul known for his ventures in space exploration and electric vehicles, is now drawing attention to a different frontier: population growth. Musk currently has 14 children with three different partners. He’s invited and actively discourages women in developed countries from having fewer children. This timely message arrives as discussion of Canadian healthcare and social justice issues continues to dominate headlines and public forums. Canada’s healthcare system is under significant strain stemming from profound and longstanding challenges. With an alarming lack of family doctors and hospital employees in dire need of stricter workplace safety measures. At the same time, vaccine schedules are being rushed to catch up after the recent measles outbreak, and dangerous misinformation about contraceptives is going just as viral.
Population Growth Advocacy
Musk has been a long-time proponent of high birth rates in developed countries. By spreading this kind of harmful discourse through his media output, as well as his promotion of pronatalist policies, Musk perpetuates the narrative telling women to breed. His advocacy has not been without controversy, in large part due to its intersection with the debate on women’s reproductive rights and other societal expectations. Canadian gynecologists have expressed concern that online disinformation is leading patients to reject established methods of contraception, further complicating the dialogue around population growth.
Given Canada’s ongoing economic and healthcare crisis, COVID-era discussions about birth rates have been especially timely. A 2010 study highlighted that for every government dollar spent on access to contraception, up to $90 is saved in downstream spending. Investing in and protecting access to reproductive health care pays economic dividends. Yet this agenda is at odds with Musk’s aggressive pronatalism.
Healthcare System Struggles
Canada’s healthcare system is currently facing a primary care crisis with an estimated 5.4 million Canadians without a family doctor, even after attempts made earlier this year. The province of British Columbia has recruited more than 1,000 additional family physicians in the last two years. But still, about 400,000 people are not getting the care they need. This shortage is made worse by the cumbersome and expensive licensing process for international doctors. As a medical doctor from Ukraine, Oleksandr Martsiv resettled in Canada shortly after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Now, he is presented with enormous upfront costs to even be able to practice, as licensing fees have skyrocketed upwards of $20,000.
The provincial New Democratic Party of Nova Scotia has warned of unused federal dollars that might strengthen healthcare delivery. They wonder why the province hasn’t signed on to a federal program aimed at improving and creating new healthcare resources. This underscores a persistent challenge in delivering efficient resource allocation that’s within the confines of Canada’s healthcare system.
Public Health Concerns
Public health is once again a hot topic as cases of measles in Ontario jumped by 350 in just a week, from 120 to 470. In response, vaccine schedules have been accelerated in hotspot regions, allowing babies to receive their first MMR dose at six months and children under four to receive their second dose promptly. Officials are encouraging anyone born after 1970 to check their immunity status for measles to help avoid future outbreaks.
The need for all of these public health measures is urgent. We have no baseline federal safety standards to keep them safe from violence while on the job. Many incidents involving violence against healthcare workers go unreported, and legal accountability remains rare despite 2021 amendments to the Criminal Code making intimidation of healthcare workers a specific offense.
