Canadian Financial Diaries Research Project

September 2021

Researchers conducted a high-level review of the preliminary results to identify key themes or learnings from Phase One. We met (virtually) with a subset of the Phase 1 participants to present these themes and get their feedback. The purpose of the meeting was to give participants an opportunity to comment on the findings and to glean further insights from the participants.

All participants voiced strong support for the presented results. They felt that the presented themes accurately reflected their financial and economic experiences. One participant, in particular, saw the research as valuable and hoped that this would help to inform programs and policies for financially vulnerable persons. Participants restated their perception that financial tracking was a valuable tool in the management of their personal finances. Through the discussion participants reiterated concerns about financial exclusion, fringe banking, and the cycle of poverty which they felt was perpetuated by current policies and practices within social assistance and employment assistance programs.

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