Expert weighs on what needs to change to enable better aging in Canada Substantial change to Canada’s long-term support service systems is long overdue, expert says Jan 17, 2021 7:45 AM By: The Conversation Stock image Canada’s population is rapidly aging, but is it aging well? In our November 2020 report “Ageing Well,” we found both good and bad news. The good is that Canadians are living longer. Back when medicare became the backbone of our health-care system about 60 years ago, seniors made up 7.6 per cent of the population. They now constitute 17.5 per cent and will be almost 25 per cent in 2041 — 10.8 million people whose average age will be in the low 80s just over 20 years from now. They should all age happily and well.