September 1st, 2024 | RYAN TYLER

The World Needs Fewer People

We can fit billions more, but why would we want to?

People like Elon Musk are right when they say the Earth can handle billions more people. It probably can, but what good would come of that? I implore anyone reading this to name one thing that is made better by adding more people. The capitalists will say it adds more talent and innovation, but no evidence exists to prove that. Marxists would say it increases productivity, but the contrary appears to be true. A dictator might say it makes his army stronger, but statistics show the overhead costs outweigh the value of having more soldiers. When we take the time to think logically about it, there are very few things made better by adding more people. In fact, adding more people usually makes a situation worse.

Canada's population grew by millions in a few short years, but we have nothing to show for it. Our healthcare system can't keep up, housing is in short supply, and productivity is at historic lows.

I used to live in Calgary's beltline, until I realized it was a nightmare. At the time, they were ripping out car lanes for bike lanes and building more condos to pack more people into tiny spaces. Eventually, I bought a house in a town outside Calgary. Not only was the house more affordable due to lower demand, the ease of getting around and buying groceries was worlds away from my experiences in Calgary.

Fast forward almost 15 years and every town in the Calgary area is growing too rapidly for infrastructure to keep pace—including mine. House and rental prices in Okotoks, Cochrane, Airdrie, Chestermere, Strathmore and elsewhere have skyrocketted due to a rapid influx of people. Traffic congestion is now one of the biggest complaints in most of these towns, just below the costs of living.

The quality of life where I live has dramatically declined in a single decade and my family is now looking to escape it all.

Taking a sick kid to urgent care in any one of these communities has become an ordeal. Emergency rooms across Canada are swelling and overflowing with people who can't find doctors. Our healthcare system has never been that great, but as the population has risen, it has gotten noticeably worse. What used to be a three to four hour wait in emergency is now upwards of six hours. This is true in every major city and congested rural community in Canada.

Among the provinces, Alberta has it the worst.

Alberta is growing the fastest. In fact, some provinces are seeing a decline in their populations. After destroying their home provinces, either by sheer complacency or by voting for left-wing parties, people are now flooding into Alberta. They're leaving behind the very inflationary policies they probably supported so they can do it all again somewhere else.

Despite this rapid influx of people, Alberta isn't doing all that great. It's doing a bit better than the rest of Canada, which isn't saying much, but it's not doing that good. Calgary currently has one of the highest unemployment rates in Canada, as well as a downtown core of empty office spaces. That whole mentality about more people being great for the economy has proven to be bullshit. There is no better example of this than Calgary—a city that was once a burgeoning example of prosperity.

Having more people has not resulted in higher productivity, a better quality of life, or a stronger economy for Alberta.

With all these facts glaring at us, is it time to admit that more people actually make things worse? Is it time to admit that the only people who want more people are the homebuilders, corporations, politicians, and anyone who stands to get wealthier? Is it safe to admit we might actually need some more “populist” and right-wing policies?

The average person who works more than 40 hours a week to pay their bills and feed their families is beginning to see the light. This is why “far right” and anti-establishment parties are emerging in the hardest hit places. This is why candidates like Donald Trump are more popular than they would have been 20 years ago. This is why open border policies are becoming less popular.

The establishment, who wants more people only to enrich itself, has a different set of priorities than the average Canadian who is struggling under the weight of a rapidly growing population.

Galen Weston Jr. isn't struggling to pay his mortgage. The Shaw and Rogers families are doing better than ever. Flooding the country with more consumers makes them even wealthier. Unlike us, they don't have to worry about high rent, mortgage rates, and unbearable wait times at the hospital. As Galen Weston Jr. takes multi-million dollar annual bonuses, adjusted for inflation, he doesn't have to worry about the higher prices Canadians pay for milk under a system of supply management that is contributing to the inflationary pressure caused by having more consumers.

For all of Canada's billionaires, more people means more wealth. For the average Canadian, more people means more struggle—and the risk of being called a bigot for questioning any of it.

The truth is, Canadians can't continue down this path. It's suicidal. There are those who believe our open borders will lead to eventual integration, and that people shitting on beaches and getting stabbed is just a short-term price to pay for long-term sustainability. I can't say those people are either right or wrong, but I can say that none of it matters. Integration, or lack thereof, is not the real problem.

People, in general, are the problem.

I don't care where anyone is from, what their customs are, or what colour their skin is. Some of the worst and most amoral people I have ever met have been Canadian-born and white. However, I can never believe that all cultures will always mix well, or that extreme diversity in customs and worldviews has nothing to do with upticks in conflict, crime, and violence. Believing that all cultures will eventually melt together and sing Kumbaya for eternity is simply naive—and utterly moronic.

However, in the end, it doesn't matter where the people who are cramming into limited housing and emergency rooms are from. What matters is the strain they are putting on our quality of life and standards of living.

It is this strain that causes most of the anger, division, racism, and chaos we are seeing.

What Now?

As birthrates around the world plummet, the timing seems impeccable. Advancements in artificial intelligence have happened at exactly the right time. The reality that comes with a collapse in population can be avoided with even more advancements in AI and robotics. The destruction of the labour force, which is inevitable under a declining population, can be mitigated and solved with more automation. Of course, there are dangers with AI—like the potential for more tyranny—but the positive outcomes are just as limitless.

Before we usher in a new era of fully automated labour, we'll need to upend the ruling class. We'll need to use what is left of our democracy to flush out the trash. The Galen Westons and Justin Trudeaus need to be dealt with in a meaningful way—long before we give people like them the power to use AI. We'll need an AI constitution before we allow anyone to benefit from an economy that no longer relies on human labour and skill. We'll need to make sure no one gets left behind while a select few get rich.

The solution is not to increase birthrates, or to open our borders. The solution is to invest in technologies and laws that will bring in a new, safe era of automation.

Countries like Japan are already exploring this inevitable solution. The country's largest recruitment agency, Recruit Holdings, has acknowledged the need to think outside the box when it comes to Japan's shrinking workforce. Japan's leadership has admitted they are on the brink of whether they will be able to continue functioning as a society—and that artificial intelligence could be what saves Japan. If any country wants to maintain its standards of living alongside the impending doomsday for productivity, artificial intelligence, robotics, and automation should be the primary focus for investment.

Yet again, Japan is proving to be a good model for the world to emulate.

For decades, Japan has resisted mass immigration. Even as their population reaches emergency lows, there is a collective priority within the country to preserve its culture and heritage. Unlike Europe and the West, the Japanese are less willing to flood their country with people who do not respect the culture and ethics that have made Japan one of the most fascinating and civilized countries on Earth. For this reason, when everything is said and done, I believe Japan will come out on top.

By safely harnessing the powers of AI and automation, Japan will become a world superpower within a few decades—all while remaining Japanese. They'll defy the narrative and use automation and technology to save their culture and propel them to a position of global leadership. As America, Canada, and most of Europe devolve into dysfunctional cesspools of chaos and civil war, Japan will take their place as the saviours of democracy and freedom. Against China, Japan will become the new defender against tyranny and Marxism.

Canada, of course, could do much of this.

It's not too late for Canada to elect a government that reallocates resources away from endless wars, corporate welfare, and foreign aid; toward technology, automation, and groundbreaking innovation. We still have the wealth and economic potential to change the world, but it will come down to how badly we want to.

As Japan risks dying to save its own culture, Canada allows a few billionaires and elites in Ottawa to get rich at the expense of Canadian values. They flood the country with cultures that have no intention of carrying Canada's torch into the future, all so they can make a quick buck. When the going gets tough, the elites will all have the money and resources to flee to another safe haven—leaving the rest of us to pick up the pieces and fight for survival.

Make no mistake about it. When they finish destroying Canada to enrich themselves, our country's ruling class will pack up and leave.

Open borders and more people don't work. Unless we change course now, we will get left behind. The evidence is staring us in the face daily. Having more people doesn't improve our quality of life, our productivity, our economy, or our security. When we talk about our “golden era”, or our society's best days, we are forced to think back to simpler times. Times when fewer people lived here.