The author argues that the well-being of families in Canada’s future is uncertain because families are losing the central position that was traditionally theirs. Most of the changes that occurred in and around families over the last third of the 20th century came from changes in values (from survival to personal development, from collectivity-oriented to individual-oriented), in gender relations (rising education, labour force participation, and economic independence of women), and in the legal framework that deals with family life. Such changes are still having an impact on families and this impact will likely not diminish. But more than anything else, Canadian society is moving towards a model in which immigration rather than reproduction is the main source of population growth, thus reducing the importance of the family for the development of policies. This, and the increasing political importance given to environmental issues, might further displace the family as a priority for policymaking and the allocation of public resources, and thus impair the future well-being of families.

中文翻译：

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加拿大未来家庭的福祉

作者认为，加拿大未来家庭的福祉是不确定的，因为家庭正在失去传统上属于他们的中心地位。20 世纪最后三分之一发生在家庭内部和周围的变化大部分来自价值观的变化（从生存到个人发展，从集体导向到个人导向）、性别关系（教育水平提高、劳动力参与和妇女的经济独立），以及处理家庭生活的法律框架。这种变化仍然对家庭产生影响，这种影响可能不会减弱。但最重要的是，加拿大社会正在走向一种模式，在这种模式中，移民而不是生育是人口增长的主要来源，从而降低了家庭对政策制定的重要性。这一点，加上环境问题在政治上的重要性日益增加，可能会进一步取代家庭作为决策和公共资源分配的优先事项，从而损害家庭未来的福祉。