Reflecting on the fifth annual National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, Jennifer Ménard-Shand joined CP24 Breakfast to discuss what leaders and businesses can do to advance reconciliation, beyond just words and acknowledgement.

Jennifer is the founder and CEO of Staff Shop, an award-winning certified diverse staffing and consulting firm. She shares her inspirational entrepreneurial journey as a First Nations Ojibwe and French-Canadian woman who has journeyed through trauma, resilience, and ultimately, forgiveness, to help move truth and reconciliation forward. She is passionate about creating truly equitable workplaces, and helps others use their unique gifts to build bridges, break harmful cycles, and participate meaningfully in the reconciliation journey.

In her conversation with CP24, Jennifer explores the path of reconciliation in Canada, 10 years after the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s (TRC) Final Report was released, and what we as organizations and individuals should be focusing on to continue building a more equitable future for all.

Answers have been edited for length and clarity.

Measuring Progress on Reconciliation

CP24: Have we made meaningful steps towards reconciliation today? And are the steps taken so far benefitting Indigenous people today?

Jennifer Ménard-Shand: That’s a great question. I think it’s important to remember that the majority of our Indigenous people are still living in poverty — 73% without clean water — and that child welfare is still a big problem. Remembering that, as individuals and organizations, can help us figure out what we can do with the gifts and resources we have to move things forward.

The good news is we’ve come a long way. The [TRC’s] 94 calls to actions, I think there’s about 13 or so that are completed and there’s 40 that are underway. Of course, a lot more needs to be done, but we’ve come a long way in the sense that I’m here today talking about this. I think about my grandmother, and she couldn’t imagine a world where that would have happened.

Leading with Love and Forgiveness

CP24: So, does that give you hope, the pace that Canada is operating at, or is it not accelerated enough?

JMS: Well, I always speak from a place of love and forgiveness. I’m pretty solutions focused and tend to focus on where we’re going as opposed to where we’ve been, so, I am optimistic. I do see a lot of great things happening and I think people are very intentional about how they want to do things as businesses and individuals. That’s what’s important — doing our part every day.

It’s different for everyone because every community has a specific need. Out of the 634 First Nations across Canada, the majority are still in poverty and that’s really the biggest barrier. It’s a barrier to education and to employment. It’s important to remember that because one of the 94 calls to action, number 92, mandates that Indigenous people have equitable access to corporate education, training, and job opportunities

Learning from Indigenous Perspectives

CP24: With staff shop, you’re helping pave that way. How can other businesses incorporate reconciliation?

JMS: Many people ask, “what more can we do for Indigenous people?” and my mentor always said, “we’re not a problem to be solved.” What we should be asking is, what more can we learn from Indigenous people in order to help?

I think storytelling heals, just listening to stories and abandoning stereotypes. My mother, for example, was so afraid of stereotypes that I didn’t find out I was First Nations Ojibwe until my teens. There was a lot of shame. My aunt told me that my grandmother lived in a world where she said, “no matter what you do, you’ll always be an Indian.” So going back to, how far we’ve come, I think as employers, if we focus on creating equal opportunities and removing some of those barriers I spoke about, that’s one of the ways we can move forward. Indigenous people want to compete based on their own merit as opposed to being given a handout — the majority of people I talk to, they want a hand up, not a handout.

Empowering Indigenous Entrepreneurs

CP24: You’ve recently launched a new hot sauce business. Can you talk about some of the barriers or challenges you faced in particular?

JMS: Well for any Indigenous business or entrepreneur, especially female entrepreneurs, it takes a lot to get here, so please support Indigenous businesses. But, for me, I was actually a little more fortunate because I got to incubate it within Staff Shop. It was a pandemic passion project that’s now turned into something scalable in retail stores.

But some of the challenges people face, it’s still hard to get access to financing, it’s still hard to get that opportunity in corporate spaces and those meetings. We’re in a better position because a lot of the larger businesses are focused on giving opportunities to diverse suppliers, especially certified Indigenous and women-owned suppliers, so get your businesses certified. But the challenge is building the right team and the right formula to scale. My focus at Staff Shop is to grow my business in order to give back, especially through my work with Victim Services Toronto. There’s a big focus on human trafficking and violence, which Indigenous women and girls are disproportionately affected across Canada.

From surviving childhood adversity to building multimillion-dollar ventures, Jennifer Ménard-Shand is an inspirational keynote speaker who, by sharing impactful insights on servant leadership, truth and reconciliation, wellness, and more, inspires leaders and their teams to dream big and reach their full potential.

Contact us to learn more about Jennifer and how to bring her powerful messages to your next event.