一篇有关父母赠与如何将加拿大人分成“富有者”和“贫困者”以及的文章令我不禁想起自己截然不同，但又与这场有关代际财产转移的辩论紧密相关的加国经历。
When I read stories about inheritance gifts dividing Canadians into “haves” and “have-nots,” I am reminded of how different my own journey was — and yet how closely it connects to the debate on generational gifts.
我和丈夫在上世纪九十年代初仅带着200元来到加拿大，没有可以依靠的遗产，也没有父母的任何资助。凭借加拿大所提供的机遇，以及吃苦耐劳、甘于牺牲的精神，通过辛勤汗水，一步步在加国站稳了脚跟。三十年来，我们供养母亲直至她于2023年离世，养育了两个优秀的孩子，并实现了稳健的财务自由。如今，我们也有能力为孩子们提供资助，帮助他们购买第一套住房。
My husband and I arrived in Canada in the early 1990s with just $200 in our pockets. We had no inheritance to draw on, no parental support to cushion our start. With the opportunities Canada offered — and a journey paved with sweat and sacrifice — we slowly built a life. We supported my mother for thirty years until her passing in 2023. We raised two successful children. We achieved financial security. And, in time, we reached the point where we could help our children purchase their first homes.
而我们的故事正是加拿大日益增长的趋势的写照。根据CIBC在2024年的一项研究，31%的首次购房者依靠父母的资助来支付首付款买房，而在2015年这一比例仅为20%。去年父母赠与的平均金额已高达11.5万加元，比2019年猛增了73%。对于许多年轻买家来说，这些资助并非奢侈品，而是在房价高企、负担能力日益紧缩的环境下，实现购房梦想的关键因素。它能决定一个家庭数十年的财务走向，也将成为划分日后谁能成为“富有者”，谁仍然是“贫困者”的契机。我为自己能够成为这样一位为孩子财务未来而铺平道路的父母感到自豪。
This is where my story intersects with today’s broader Canadian trend. A 2024 CIBC study found that 31 per cent of first-time homebuyers received gifts from family to help with down payments, up from 20 per cent in 2015. The average gift reached $115,000 last year — a staggering 73-per-cent increase since 2019. For many young buyers, these gifts are not a luxury but the deciding factor that makes homeownership possible in an era of soaring prices and tightening affordability. They shape financial well-being for decades, often determining who becomes a “have” and who remains a “have-not.” I am proud to count myself among the parents who can help pave the way for my children’s future.
我常常想，如今的年轻人在没有父母资助的情况下，要在加拿大立足是多么艰难。那些当年几十万元即可买到的房子，如今动辄要上百万元，而工资涨幅却远远追不上房价。 与之相比，当初的婴儿潮一代进入房市时价格低廉，而随着时间推移，他们享受到的是房价的不断上涨。
Still, I sometimes wonder how daunting it must feel for today’s youth to build a life without parental support. Homes that once cost hundreds of thousands now routinely sell for millions, while wages have lagged far behind. This stands in sharp contrast to the boomer generation, who began with affordable homes and benefited as values rose year after year.
但每一代人都有各自的挑战，只是挑战的形式不同而已。我和丈夫属于“婴儿潮一代”，然而，作为移民，要真正搭上”婴儿潮”这趟快车并非易事。当今的年轻人面对的是高企的房价，而当年我们面对的却是生存的压力。初到加拿大时，我们不仅有语言障碍，还缺乏人脉网络，海外学历和经验得不到认可，就业机会受限。为了生存，我们重返校园接受加拿大教育，重建事业；同时做出明智的财务选择，节衣缩食、过着简朴的生活。我们买二手家具，开旧车，放弃奢侈，把每一分余钱都投入到投资中。财务的稳健并非一蹴而就，而是数十年自律、牺牲与坚持不懈的成果。
Yet that picture does not tell the whole story. Every generation has faced its own set of challenges. My husband and I are part of the boomer generation, yet as immigrants, we found that “riding the boomer wave” was no less difficult. While today’s youth grapple with home prices, we were grappling with survival. We arrived with language barriers, limited professional networks, and job prospects that undervalued our foreign education and experience. To move forward, we pursued Canadian education to rebuild our careers, made smart financial decisions, and lived frugally out of necessity. We bought second-hand furniture, drove old cars, skipped luxuries, and invested every spare dollar. Financial security did not come overnight — it came from decades of discipline, sacrifice, and the determination never to give ourselves excuses to back away from hardship.
父母的赠与给子女提供了某种不公平的优势吗？而我认为它是父母财务成就的真实缩影。像我们这样的移民家庭能够在经济上支持子女，其实是多年坚韧不拔的努力和关键时刻做出正确决定和选择的结果。在每一笔六位数的首付款背后，往往隐藏着父母一次次放弃旅行、奢侈享受，以及一笔笔耐心与审慎投资积累下来的财富。
That is why I view parental gifts not as an unfair advantage, but as a hard-earned achievement. For families like ours, the ability to support children financially is the culmination of years of resilience and making the right choices. Behind every six-figure down payment gift, there may be parents who quietly skipped vacations, turned down indulgences, and built wealth through patience and careful investing.
“加拿大梦”不仅意味着自我奋斗，更意味着为下一代提供发展基础，让他们踩着我们的肩膀走得更高、更远。我们的经历证明，一个身无分文的移民家庭也可以从零开始，凭借岁月的积累，有朝一日成为能为子女提供自己当年不曾拥有过财富。
The Canadian dream is not only about pulling yourself up — it is also about lifting the next generation higher. Our story shows that immigrants can arrive with almost nothing and, over time, become the parents who give their children the leg up they never had.
有关财务不平等的讨论固然重要，但我们也应看到，代际支持并不总是特权的象征。有时，它正是那些从零起步的父母坚韧不拔的写照，而他们最大的骄傲，便是让子女能够在更高的财务起点上追逐人生。
The conversation about inequality is important. But it should also recognize this truth: intergenerational support is not always a matter of privilege. Sometimes, it is the fruit of perseverance by parents who started with very little, and whose greatest pride is ensuring their children begin on higher ground.
