The irony of Italy's immigration policy

Italy has a baby problem. Apparently Italians aren't making enough of them. The country's birth rate is the lowest it's been since Italy itself was born in 1861. With deaths now greatly exceeding births, the population is shrinking. "We are in a terrible state," says Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini, leader of the right-wing League, the major force in Italy's coalition government.

And this is indeed a problem. According to economists, a shrinking population and aging workforce is one reason for Italy's chronically stagnant economy.

There is, of course, an obvious solution. And it's sitting on Italy's doorstep. Immigration. As we know, the world is awash with refugees desperate to get into safe countries with opportunities. And most of these people are young and eager for work. And Italy has lots of room. Only 8.7 per cent of its resident population is immigrant, compared to about 21 per cent in Canada. And that 8.7 per cent pays its dues, contributing around nine per cent of Italy's GDP and paying billions of euros in social security payments and taxes.

But Salvini and his populist government will have none of it. The deputy PM is opposed to large-scale immigration and oversees the government's hard-line approach to refugees. The country refuses landing to boats carrying migrants across the Mediterranean.

So Salvini and his government will remain stuck with his country's "terrible state," complete with shrinking population and stagnant economy, barred from the solution only by his own bigotry.