Canada’s declining fertility has significant implications on the country’s economic and social stability, says a family studies researcher, adding that boosting awareness of the importance and benefits of marriage could help to reverse the trend. “Fertility rates have an impact on labour supply and on the state’s ability to meet entitlement obligations such as health care and public pensions,” says Peter Jon Mitchell in his research paper for think tank Cardus, titled “Missing Marriage and the Baby Carriage.” “Like many Western nations, Canada’s population is aging, with more people over the age of 65 than under the age of 15. This age imbalance will strain the future ability to finance social programs and meet other fiscal obligations,” wrote Mitchell, program director of Family at Cardus. Lower levels of partnership and fertility may also indicate that some people are not achieving the family life they want, affecting their happiness and overall …