Government report predicts 2040 dystopia: Collapsed economy, hunting for food

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OTTAWA — It’s a dystopian future where wealth and property ownership is entirely generational, post-secondary education is no longer a key to success and hungry Canadians resort to poaching wildlife to feed their families.

While this is quickly becoming a reality for more and more Canadians, an internal government report from Policy Horizons Canada warns these horrors could become everyday life in Canada as early as 2040, returning society to one based on inter-generational wealth — with land barons and an aristocracy usually found only in history books.
Entitled “Future Lives: Social mobility in question,” the report paints a picture of what life in Canada could soon be like if current economic policy stays the course.

“Social mobility lies at the heart of the Canadian project. Many people in Canada assume that ‘following the rules’ and ‘doing the right things’ will lead to a better life,” said the report’s introduction.

“However, things are changing. Wealth inequality is rising. It is already common for children to be less upwardly mobile than their parents.”

Upward social mobility will be unheard of in 2040 as hopes of building a better life disappear, the report predicted.

“In 2040, upward social mobility is almost unheard of in Canada. Hardly anyone believes that they can build a better life for themselves, or their children, through their own efforts,” the report said.

“However, many worry about sliding down the social order.”

The report predicted key problems include the irrelevancy of post-secondary education, as only the most wealthy will be able to afford tuition, and students will only enroll only to cement their positions in Canada’s elite.

The report also says home ownership — already out of reach of many — will only be the domain of the lucky few with family wealth.

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“Inequality between those who rent and those who own has become a key driver of social, economic, and political conflict,” the report says.

Wealth, like home ownership, will be largely inter-generational, with inheritance becoming the only reliable way to get ahead in life.

Societal classes will also become increasingly isolated, both in real life and online.

“Algorithmic dating apps filter by class. Gated metaverses, like real life, offer few opportunities to meet people from different backgrounds,” the report read.

“It is hard to move up in the world by making social connections that could lead to long-term romantic relationships, job opportunities, or business partnerships. Social relations no longer offer pathways to connections or opportunities that enable upward mobility.”

Other issues include youthful aspirations of social mobility replaced with expectations of immobility, and AI diminishing the value of human labour.

This will lead to a near-collapse of Canada’s economy, trigger a mental health crisis, prompt professionals and immigrants to flee Canada for greener pastures, and more grassroots approaches to housing and food — including families foraging and hunting wildlife for food, and wholesale rejection of government or big business being able to meet everyday needs.

bpassifiume@postmedia.com
X: @bryanpassifiume