在房价飙升的加拿大，父母帮忙购房天经地义（观点，中英对照）

随着越来越多的年轻购房者无需贷款即可购入房产，加拿大社会正悄然出现一批年轻一代的“土地贵族”。最新数据显示，加拿大35岁以下的房产主中，近五分之一已经全款拥有住房。但在一个平均房价徘徊在70万加元、而攒够一笔20%的首付需要长达十年以上的房屋市场中，这些无需贷款的年轻人，并不是靠努力“打拼”购得住房，而是因为他们的父母有足够的经济实力提供支持。如今，能否拥有住房，越来越取决于家庭财富，而不是个人努力。

Concerns over a societal shift toward landed aristocracy are gaining momentum in Canada, as a growing number of young homeowners acquire properties mortgage-free. Recent data reveal that nearly one in five Canadian homeowners under the age of 35 now own their homes outright. In a housing market where the average price hovers around $700,000—and where saving a 20 percent down payment can take more than a decade—these mortgage-free buyers aren’t succeeding because they outworked the system. They’re succeeding because their families had the financial means to help. Access to homeownership now hinges more on family wealth than personal effort.

批评者认为，这一趋势正在威胁着社会公平之原则，甚至动摇了“凭能力取胜”这一核心价值观。试想，在一个社会中，如果继承财产比依靠自身努力工作更能获得带来财富增长，那么该社会存在根本上的不公。这种现象不仅仅会拉大穷富差距，更会造成土地拥有者和那些无论多么努力都无法迈入房产大门之间的阶级鸿沟。

Critics see this trend as a threat to fairness and the very idea of meritocracy. A society that rewards inheritance over hard work feels fundamentally unjust. It risks creating a new kind of class divide—not merely between rich and poor, but between those with property and those permanently priced out of ownership, regardless of how hard they try.

但令人不安的现实是，这并不是什么反常现象，而是社会长期以来的运作方式。通过房产积累并传承财富早已司空见惯，真正值得反思的，是我们一边默默认可这种现象，一边却又对其讳莫如深、不愿直言。

But here’s the uncomfortable truth: this isn’t an anomaly. It’s how societies have long functioned. Wealth passed down through property is nothing new. What’s new is our discomfort with acknowledging it.

在我长大的中国，房产作为家庭财富的观念早已根深蒂固。父母为子女购置房产天经地义，并被普遍认为是父母一代的责任与义务。它是一种爱的表达，也是一种责任的体现，更是一种家庭遗产的传承方式。几代人的钱包拼凑在一起，只为确保家庭的下一代能拥有一套住房。当然没人说这是在"凭个人本事购房”，但也没有人认为这绝对不公——这只不过是维系家庭稳定的一种正常方式罢了。

In China, where I grew up, the concept of property as family wealth is deeply embedded. It’s not controversial—it’s expected—for parents to buy their children a home. It’s an act of love, responsibility, and legacy. Multiple generations often pool resources to ensure one home stays in the family. No one pretends this is meritocracy, but no one calls it unfair either. It’s simply how stability is built.

相比之下，加拿大社会更倾向于高谈个人努力才是成功的契机，而同时低调处理这种代际财富转移，甚至禁忌公开讨论继承家庭财产事宜。表面上，社会推崇的是“凭自身能力获得成功”；但在私下里，许多家庭，特别是那些早在几十年前就购入房产的家庭，正悄悄地为子女提供有利财产资助。在加拿大，房地产依然是最隐秘、最强大、也是税收最优惠的财富保值之道。代际财富的积累正是超级富豪诞生的途径之一，而类似的例子早已数不胜数。

Canada, by contrast, prefers to keep these transfers quiet, leaving open discussion of inheritance largely taboo. We like to maintain the narrative that anyone can succeed through hard work alone. Meritocracy is celebrated in public. But behind closed doors, many families—especially those who bought property decades ago—are quietly giving their children a major leg up. Real estate remains the most quietly powerful and tax-advantaged vehicle for wealth preservation in the country. Generational wealth is how the super-rich are created, and there are countless examples.

继承了零售商业帝国的韦斯顿家族，通过数十年的企业接班与房地产战略投资，成功地守住了家族财富。曾以帝国酒业（Seagram）闻名的布朗夫曼家族，则将其财富转向私人投资与房地产领域。而现已成为加拿大最富有家族的汤姆森家族，则通过继承媒体资产、房地产以及信托基金登上财富顶峰。这些家族代际之间稳定而有效的财富传承，正是加拿大“低调贵族阶层”的真实写照。

The Weston family, heirs to a grocery and retail empire, have preserved their fortune through decades of corporate succession and strategic real estate holdings. The Bronfmans, once known for the Seagram liquor empire, transitioned their wealth into private investment and property. The Thomson family, now Canada’s wealthiest, rose to the top through inherited media assets, real estate, and trusts. These families’ ability to transfer and preserve wealth across generations exemplifies Canada’s quiet aristocracy.

作为一名来自重视家庭亲情文化的移民，我渴望以我父母当年根本无法做到的方式，去帮助我的孩子。我认可将房产传承给下一代所带来的稳定感，我相信许多人，尤其是移民家庭或工薪阶层出身的人，也抱有相同的想法。在目前老一辈已在房地产中获得了巨大财富增值的背景下，如果代际支持能够提升年轻加拿大人的住房拥有率，缓解广泛的住房可负担性危机，那么这种现象或不应被排斥。而我们需要考虑的则是如何以更加公开、负责且公平的方式去接纳它。

As an immigrant from a culture that deeply values family bonds, I want to help my children in ways my parents never could. I embrace the stability that comes with passing property to the next generation, and I suspect many others—especially those from immigrant or working-class backgrounds—feel the same. If intergenerational support can improve homeownership among young Canadians and ease the broader affordability crisis—particularly in a time when older generations have seen extraordinary housing wealth gains—then perhaps it isn’t something to resist. It may be something we should learn to embrace—openly, responsibly, and with an eye toward equity.

“土地贵族”并非某种旧时代产物的回归，它早已深深扎根于当下的现实之中。归根结底，将房产传承给下一代，不仅是出于亲情与责任的个人选择，更是一种延续至今、支撑个体安全与社会稳定的默契机制。

The landed aristocracy isn’t returning. It’s already here. In the end, passing property to the next generation is not just an act of personal love and duty—it is one of the most enduring principles behind both individual security and societal prosperity.

归根结底，这个社会面临的关键问题，不是父母应不应帮你买房，而是他们有没有能力帮你买。

The real issue in our society isn’t whether parents should help their children buy a home—it’s whether they can.