Article content

TORONTO – After Debbie Clarke’s first child had reached the “terrible twos,” she and her husband decided their family of three was big enough – adding a sibling would be just too much.

“At the time I was working really late hours and I just didn’t think it was fair to have another child when I didn’t really have the time and the energy to put into another child,” said Clarke of Mississauga, Ont., whose son Austin is now 15.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Without immigration, Canada's growth could be close to zero in 20 years if low fertility rates persist: StatsCan Back to video

“When he was younger it was very hectic because I had to work nights. My husband worked days. I thought to myself, ‘You know what? I have to do what I think I can handle physically, emotionally financially … I think one is good enough for me.”‘

Clarke is among a growing proportion of Canadian women choosing to have only one child – or none at all. And that trend towards limited child-bearing is increasingly reflected in Canada’s average fertility rate, which 2016 census figures released Wednesday have pegged at 1.6 children per woman, slightly higher than the 1.59 posted by Statistics Canada three years earlier.