A recent poll shows that most Canadians — especially olderones — support requiring young adults to spend a year serving in areas like health, disaster response, or the environment.

In this episode of the Hard Truths pod, our social media coordinator Jennifer Fox joins Generation Squeeze founder, Dr. Paul Kershaw as he explains how younger Canadians already perform a critical national service: They pay more out of pocket, and sacrifice their standard of living, to protect healthy retirements for our aging population. Paul argues that before we ask younger Canadians to shoulder more service, it’s timewe acknowledge the service they already provide.

This week's episode is a feed swap with Aborsh – A podcastabout abortion in Canada, by playwright and podcaster Rachel Cairns.

What do abortion and housing have in common? Well, they areboth recognized as human rights by the UN and multiple other international organizations and agreements. But you wouldn’t necessarily know it from living in Canada as the ongoing housing crisis locks people into unaffordable living situations.

In this episode, Rachel explores the gendered impacts of the housing affordability crisis and how it impacts reproductive decisions, with insights from the Women’s National Housing and Homelessness Network, the National Right to Housing Network, and the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives.

Home ownership among young Canadians (under age 35) has recently surged to 44%, the highest level in five decades! 18% of them are mortgage-free. Generation Squeeze founder, Dr. Paul Kershaw, and AI host Jenna discuss how Canada may be drifting from a meritocracy toward a landed aristocracy, where access to secure housing increasingly depends on being born into the right family.