TASK FORCE CHAIR'S BLOG: April 8, 2010

I write today from sunny and beautiful Saskatoon, as the Task Force conducts its fourth public hearing in our cross-country tour.

We are pleased that the Task Force is able to connect with so many Canadians through the relatively new communications channel of social media. Via this blog, published on Facebook and other social media tools, we are reaching people in ways that would have been unimaginable just a few short years ago.

Beyond the many in-person presentations we are hearing each day in our travelling consultations, we have started to receive written and electronic submissions from across Canada well ahead of the April 30 deadline. Canadians are encouraged to provide their views and feedback to the Task Force - and dialogue with each other about financial literacy issues - using the online forum at www.financialliteracyincanada.com.

The Task Force has had its horizons broadened this week, hearing directly about the special money management challenges faced by low-income Canadians, people who are illiterate, seniors at risk of fraud, First Nations, and those with intellectual disabilities. For the last, we thank the Community Living Association Saskatoon, which works closely with these men and women.

Yesterday in Calgary, we discussed an intriguing program that encourages people to save over time for a house down payment, professional accreditation, or other life goals identified at the outset. Called Individual Development Accounts or IDAs, this program is broadly available in the U.S. but relatively new to Canada, and we are investigating further.

We will finish the week Friday in Winnipeg, and resume in both Montreal and Toronto on April 19.

Don Stewart
Chair of the Task Force on Financial Literacy