It is no secret Canada’s population is aging and aging quickly.

For the past decade, much of the public conversation has treated immigration as the only answer to population aging. Advocacy groups and political parties at all levels of government have clashed over immigration. More recently, as public opinion shifts and governments reduce immigration targets, immigration can no longer be the default solution.

Immigration does remain an important part of Canada’s demographic strategy. Caregiver programs, agricultural and skilled-worker streams continue to fill crucial labour gaps. But immigration cannot carry the aging-workforce problem alone nor can it outpace population aging forever.

Rather than looking outward only, Canada should also look inward and ask: what can we do with the population we already have? Two groups often overlooked in aging-workforce debates are mothers who face barriers to returning to work and older Canadians who are too often pushed out before they are ready to leave. With the correct approach, these two groups can help ease Canada’s aging workforce problem.

Mothers

Canada already has a large pool of skilled workers not being used as effectively as possible. Mothers’ labour-force participation has risen dramatically over time: Among mothers aged 20 to 49 with a child three years or younger, participation increased to 77.1 per cent in 2022 from 33.5 per cent in 1976. The share of mothers returning to work sometime after parental leave rose to 88.4 per cent in 2019 from 82.3 per cent in 2009.

But many mothers still face barriers that delay or limit their return to work. The issue is not whether mothers want to work. Many do. The question is whether workplaces and care systems make returning realistic, flexible and worthwhile.

Child care should not be treated solely as family policy. It is also workforce policy.

For instance, the Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care system has helped make child care more accessible. However, demand continues to outpace supply. Instead of looking at this challenge as simply an infrastructure limitation, treat it as a workforce issue. Every family unable to find a child-care space may also represent a skilled worker unable to fully participate in the workforce. That is a pressing issue in an era where workplaces are concerned with attracting talent.

Many workplaces still make re-entry harder than it needs to be. Hybrid and remote work are not an option for most occupations. However, flexible working arrangements should be used to help mothers stay attached to the workforce.

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Research from Nordic countries shows that if women remain attached to the workforce in some capacity, they are more likely to fully re-enter it later. Where possible, part-time work, hybrid arrangements or temporary remote work can help women remain attached to the workforce during the early child-rearing years. That helps retain skilled workers who might otherwise be pushed out.

Creating better conditions for mothers and families to help mothers remain attached to the workforce would help buffer the effects of retirement while complementing immigration’s role.

Older workers

The growing number of older Canadian workers is often framed as a cause for concern. But under the right conditions, older workers can help slow the effects of a shrinking workforce.

A growing number of Canadians work past 65. Some continue working because of the rising cost of living; others do so because they want to remain engaged in the workforce. Many workplaces are reluctant to retain older workers and instead seek to phase them out. In doing so, Canada loses experience, mentorship capacity and practical knowledge that can be built only over decades.

Let us revisit programs that allow older workers to take on different work duties, namely in mentorship and consulting. For example, Ontario previously promoted the Late Career Nurse Initiative, which allowed nurses over 55 to take on less physically demanding duties and mentorship roles for the next generation of nurses. That kind of practical knowledge cannot be replaced quickly. Instead of phasing these workers out, employers should consider similar programs to give older workers a chance to pass on their knowledge and expertise.

Other countries, such as Germany, Australia and New Zealand, treat age-friendly workplaces, lifelong learning, upskilling and ergonomic adaptation as labour-market policy. Canada should do the same. Part-time work, hybrid and remote work options would help keep older workers in the workforce.

Attracting top international talent should remain a priority. But expertise and insight are built over decades, and older workers carry much of that institutional knowledge. Older Canadians are one of the fastest-growing segments of the population. Canada should treat that as a workforce planning opportunity, not as a fiscal burden.

Canada cannot out-immigrate population aging. It can only buffer its effects. By helping mothers return to work, retaining older workers and continuing to use immigration strategically, Canada can better manage population aging with the people it already has and the newcomers it continues to welcome. This is not a hopeless situation. But it does require governments and employers to stop looking for a single solution and start building conditions to allow more people to stay attached to the workforce.

Canada has been dealt its demographic cards. The task now is to play them better.