Message from Federated Co-operatives Limited CEO, Scott Banda

June 8, 2020

The following message was sent last week to Federated Co-operatives Limited team members from CEO Scott Banda, in light of current events taking place in the United States and Canada.

As an organization that is based on values of integrity, excellence and responsibility, we cannot remain silent or still. The discussion ignited by George Floyd’s death cannot be ignored. As a society, there are basic standards we need to uphold: decency, compassion and respect. We each need to personally commit to these in all our interactions and hold each other accountable. We have to do better.

While recent events have escalated discussions around racism, the root issues are not new and they are not isolated. They are not just issues in far away places. They are issues right here in Western Canada, in our hometowns, in our schools, in our hockey rinks and in our businesses. Inequality crosses borders and boundaries—it can be found everywhere.

As we have shared in the past, the only way we can move forward is by talking about these issues. Many of you are already having conversations with colleagues, with friends and with family. Some of those conversations are about your own experiences with racism. Others are acknowledgements of the roles we all play and the opportunities we all have to support change.

We all need to commit to taking action. These are short steps on what is a long road, but we commit to providing more opportunities in our organization to discuss racial injustice, to empower us to have difficult conversations and to support organizations and forums that address racism in our Western Canadian communities.

I encourage all of you to join in these conversations and in taking these actions. Small steps are meaningful and they can help us change for the better. Change happens one conversation at a time. One choice at a time. One action at a time.

D. Scott Banda
Chief Executive Officer
Federated Co-operatives Limited