As this pandemic drags on, we are seeing financial stress increase in the hardest hit Canadians – those who’s jobs have melted away or who’s small businesses have been forced to close. This financial burden is not being incurred by everyone - we are seeing those with assets and jobs where they can work from home experiencing stability and even financial growth - the so called K shaped recovery.

This is where we are today. The important question is what is our recipe for all Canadians to thrive? I believe Paul Taylor, Executive Director of FoodShare has insight into the right ingredients.

In his recent interview published in LiisBeth, he discusses his focus on implementing standard-of-living wages and a wage compression policy where FoodShare has tied compensation for the lowest wage worker to the highest. This means that the Executive Director can make no more than three times what the lowest paid worker makes.

These are critically important initiatives – they ensure that people are valued for their contribution and not their power to influence the allocation of resources or their ability to forego lower paid jobs and invest time and money in accessing higher paid employment.

Even more importantly, they demonstrate FoodShare’s commitment to a socially just future and enable the organization to drive change in a manner that is consistent with desired outcomes. I believe commitment and congruence between actions and outcomes are 2 core ingredients in the recipe for building a society that enables all Canadians to be financially resilient and thrive.

Too often we hear that paid sick days, living wages, basic income, lower post-secondary education costs and a higher standard of government supports aren’t possible. We hear these solutions won’t work for a variety of reasons. We can’t afford it. The pubic will not support it. These solutions will create other problems.
At the root of these reasons there is often a lack of commitment.

A true commitment to building a society where all Canadians can be financially resilient and thrive means prioritizing and investing in solutions that genuinely work. So, if the provincial government does not feel that offering a provincial sick leave program is the best solution to ensuring the health and resiliency of low wage workers, what is their proposed alternative and how will it ensure that all workers have access to sick leave both during and post COVID-19?

Once commitment is established, we need a deep understanding of the enablers of the desired outcomes and a reflection of those enablers in all efforts including programs, processes, policies. We know and have seen through history that we cannot create peace using violence and control. In the same way, we cannot create a society that enables all Canadians to be financially resilient and thrive without having a representation from all Canadians making decisions and leading programs, policies and efforts. Paul Taylor has recognized this. FoodShare’s Board of Directors is 62% female and 85% BIPOC.

So as we continue to struggle and get frustrated with inequality and lack of progress on financial resiliency, let's make sure to follow Paul's lead and invest our time and energy in those critical ingredients that will truly enable resiliency.