“In investing money, the amount of interest you want should depend on whether or not you want to sleep well at night.” – Kenfield Morley

We live in a time where economic inequality has never been greater, and opportunities for progress for many outside the established elite have never been smaller.  Essentially, the job losses and economic shutdowns caused by COVID-19 have only brought the logical outcome of a 40-year trend of growing economic inequality into sharper focus.  

There are many contributing factors to this current situation, but perhaps the most foundational is the emergence of stock markets as an alternative definition of value divorced from structural economic realities or inherent social value.  Most other sins of modern capitalism – the failure of supply side economics to spur productive investment; the unchecked growth of unfair trade practices that hollowed out American manufacturing; the rise of the gig economy that can sometimes exploit workers as “empowered entrepreneurs” – can be traced to the obsession with a singular focus on shareholder value maximization; every quarter, every event, every trade.

Over the course of the series, eight Canadian financial leaders will gather to explore how we can purposefully reset our norms and restructure our institutional systems to institute positive societal impact; and ensure Canada is positioned to be one of the leading contributors to a more equitable, sustainable and resilient future.