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Blog Post by Augustin Hamilton (Quebec Life Coalition) — Photo: Pixel-Shot/Adobe Stock

All Quebec politicians, from the CAQ to the QS (yes, even the QS!) and including the Liberals, are expressing a willingness to tackle the current falling birth rate. Quebec’s total fertility rate was 1.36 children per woman in 2025, which is well below the replacement rate of 2.1.

Their approach is similar to one promoted by University of Sherbrooke academics, such as Sophie Mathieu, a lecturer at the School of Applied Politics. She aims to help families have as many children as they want. Currently, there is a gap between the number of children families want and the number they actually have.

Mrs. Mathieu lists several obstacles to fulfilling this desire, including difficulty balancing work and family life, "eco-anxiety", the housing crisis, and the shortage of subsidized childcare.

The solution to "eco-anxiety" is simple: the media just need to stop bombarding the public with apocalyptic climate messages.
Work-life balance and the shortage of daycare spots are related issues that the government could easily address in some cases. For example, they could provide support to mothers who want to raise their young children themselves.

But what did I just mention? Mrs. Mathieu says that the issue of birth rates "strikes a sensitive chord, that of gender equality." She says that people in Quebec (or rather, feminists) would prefer to talk about "work-life balance" than "birth rate policy." This reluctance to use such a harmless term is astonishing!

Mrs. Mathieu continues: "What worries me is how we're going to address this issue because promoting a return to traditional roles for women could open the door to a rather conservative line of argument."

This touches on a fundamental issue. Why is it dangerous to emphasize women’s "traditional roles"? Would it jeopardize gender equality? But what kind of "equality" are we talking about?

Equality of outcomes or equality of opportunity? Inequality is part of life. In truth, no one is equal, whether intellectually, physically, or socially. While all citizens have the opportunity to become prime minister, only a very small number actually do. This is what we mean by equality of opportunity, which is not equality of outcomes. In fact, to achieve equality of outcomes, which is more or less illusory, we would have to abolish freedom. As soon as a choice is an option, inequality arises: some will make good choices, some will make less good choices, and some will make bad choices. Even if we removed the freedom to choose, inherent inequalities would ensure that many could never become astrophysicists. Equality can be a good thing, such as equality before the law, but it is not the measure of all things.

Moreover, comparing family and work is like comparing apples to oranges. The two do not serve the same immediate purpose, although work can certainly help support family. In one case, you are raising children, and in the other, you are earning money. If one were to compare the two, which would be superior? Unfortunately, for some, earning money seems to be the most important thing. For others, it's more about raising one's own children. Would that mean that men whose role is to be the family's sole breadwinner have the inferior role? Are feminists actually "virilists" who want to establish equality between men and women?

In truth, caring for children and providing for the family are two invaluable functions.

However, this attitude toward "traditional roles" reminds us of what feminism actually is: an aversion to motherhood. This mistrust of "traditional roles" echoes Simone de Beauvoir's words: "No woman should have the option to stay home and raise her children. Society should be completely different. Women should not be able to make such a choice, precisely because many of them would choose to stay home". 

Would it not occur to these feminists to support women who choose to raise their children themselves as well as those who send their children to daycare? In truth, they do not, and this is how inequality among women is created and perpetuated.

Finally, it's important to note that pouring more money into a system that yields few results won't suddenly produce more.

Childcare, which the CAQ wants to expand by 37,000 spots, is probably the cause of many cases of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). According to Erica Komisar, a clinical social worker, psychoanalyst, parenting coach, and author with 30 years of experience, ADHD is not a neurological disorder. Rather, it is caused by stress that begins too early and lasts too long. Young children experience this stress when they are separated from their mothers and placed in the care of strangers at daycare.