COATICOOK March 2, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Quebec pro-lifers have for years warned that the French-speaking population of that province is in danger of contracepting and aborting itself into oblivion. Since the so-called “Quiet Revolution” of the 1960’s that saw the catastrophic collapse of the overwhelmingly Catholic culture of Quebec, abortion rates have soared along with non-Francophone immigration. Demographers fear that the French-Canadian culture is becoming extinct along with its population. Quebec couples currently produce only 1.4 children on average, far below the 2.1 necessary to keep a population stable. The province has one of the highest rates of abortion in the Western world. However, one little town, and its mayor have spared no effort to encourage parents to revolt against the revolution. The population of Coaticook, Quebec is remaining stable at 9000 with no help from immigration. Mayor André Langevin, has instituted an ambitious set of subsidies and incentives for young couples willing to conceive and stay in town. The town provides baby bonuses to every couple having children, starting at $75 for the first child, $150 for the second and $750 for every child after that.
The town budgets about $75,000 a year out of its annual budget of 6.2 million for the family programs which include gifts of dining sets for couples setting up, hockey uniforms for children, and a fund for cotton diapers. With the help of local businesses who want to maintain a long-term healthy local economy, the town funds an annual Christmas raffle with prizes of $750 for all families that had babies during the year. For Langevin it is clear that to maintain Quebec’s traditional French culture and high standard of living, including its public medical system, it is crucial to stem the population decline. Says the mayor, “Family stability, fidelity, lots of children, those are values I would like to preserve.”
In contrast to the rest of the country, where small towns and rural populations are virtually disappearing in their exodus to city jobs, Coaticook’s young families are staying. Local businessmen support the family-friendly policies saying that the nurturing of traditional family values helps them keep young workers in town, and that happier, more stable family lives contribute to more productive workers.
International Herald Tribune coverage: https://www.iht.com/articles/132189.html