Co-operatives
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The Government of Canada recognizes that the co-operative model can play an important role in delivering key services to Canadians. The Co-operatives Secretariat advises the Government of Canada on policies affecting co-operatives and encourages the use of the co-operative model for the social and economic development of Canada's communities. The Secretariat also provides a link between the co-op sector and the many federal departments and agencies with which they interact.
The Co-operatives Secretariat is dedicated to the economic growth and social development of Canadian society through co-operative enterprise.
Throughout much of Canada's history, co-operatives have played a key role in communities by giving citizens a way to pursue common goals and develop local responses to their challenges. Today, co-operatives meet a variety of social and economic needs in both urban and rural areas, from northern Aboriginal communities where they provide essential services, to agricultural communities where they are helping farmers to compete in the new economy. Canada's 1,300 agricultural co-operatives generate more than $19 billion per year in revenue and employ 36,000 Canadians. Co-ops allow producers to come together to develop niche markets and move into value-added production. The range of applications of the co-op model promises further advances and contributions to sustainable rural development.
The Co-operatives Development Initiative is a federal program designed to provide expert advice for both start-up and expanding co-operatives, and to research and test innovative ways of using the co-operative model.