Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Defence Minister Anita Anand walk in front of a line of Canadian troops at Fort York Armoury on Feb. 24, 2023 in Toronto.Somehow, right around the 80th anniversary of D-Day, national service has made its way back onto the political agenda. British Conservative Leader Rishi Sunak floated the idea in that country’s election campaign, and the idea has been picked up by some Canadian commentators.
That new foundation provided the basis of the U.S.’s postwar social contract, mirroring similar evolutions across the West. This was the age in which governments extended universal pensions, health care and free education to their societies, and in which social assistance was provided to citizens in times of hardship or unemployment.
Buying a house looks out of reach unless they can draw upon family money. Starting a family has become more expensive, taxes will all but certainly rise in their lifetimes and any young person is entitled to doubt if they’ll ever draw a pension as generous as what retired people get today. To top it all off, they will have to cope with the damaging effects of climate change, a problem they did comparatively little to cause.