I think you’ve addressed a really important need for information. The knowledge gaps that you identify. These are the sorts of things that we’re looking to know more about, and then share with our networks, too.

Dr. Margo Hilbrecht, Executive Director, Vanier Institute of the Family

The following webinar presentation represents a brief summary of research conducted by the Social Planning and Research Council of British Columbia (SPARC BC) on the topic of consumer vulnerability in Canada. It is intended to provide a broad introduction to the research as well as a closer look at how consumer vulnerability has impacted some families in Canada.

The webinar begins with a brief background on core concepts, including a definition of consumer vulnerability. It also details the context for this research, including the broad impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and rapid inflation that followed in Canada.

Following this background and introduction, an overview of the research project is presented. This over covers the core questions guiding this work as well as the variety of methods used to generate research findings to address these core questions.

From here, a presentation of the headline research findings on consumer vulnerability in Canada between 2020 and 2024 is provided. These headline findings are followed by aspects of consumer vulnerability affecting families in Canada.

This webinar concludes with some thoughts on emerging implications and considerations emerging from this research project.