Intergenerational equity has entered the public debate for reasons as varied as the size of the public debt, the dependency ratio, and sustainable development. Proceedings from the conference will be available in the fall of 1997 from Statistics Canada. The concept of intergenerational equity itself was under scrutiny.
Current measures tend to focus on public expenditures.
But the general consensus at the conference was that the productive capacity that one generation passes on to another was the appropriate indicator. Unless the concept is more comprehensive in its application, it will be impossible to draw explicit conclusions or to develop policy prescriptions related to intergenerational welfare. Otherwise, trade-offs and returns on investment within the system of productive capacity cannot be properly assessed. The multiple dimensions of productive capacity are difficult to measure with scientific rigour. The recommendations presented in the conference papers can be grouped into three approaches.