The legacy lobby

Canada's major co-op and credit union organizations are urging the federal government to implement three major initiatives as legacy projects for the International year of Co-operatives. 

The Canadian Co-operative Association (CCA), the Conseil canadien de la coopération et de la mutualité., Credit Union Central of Canada, Desjardins Group, the Co-operative Housing Federation of Canada and the Canadian Worker Co-operative Federation have joined in asking the government to make a lasting contribution to co-operative development with these three inititiatives.  

The legacy initiatives are (click each link to find out more):

• A federal Co-operative Investment Plan, which would would provide a federal tax credit for co-op members and employees who invest in producer (agriculture, fishery, forestry) and employee-owned co-operatives.

• A co-operative development fund, co-funded by the federal government and the co-operative sector, which would provide capitalization loans to co-operatives.

• A renewed Co-operative Development Initiative (CDI). which would continue to provide grants and technical assistance to new and emerging co-ops. The current CDI program expires in March 2013.

During the 2011 federal election campaign, CCA called on candidates to support these three initiatives, as well as other recommendations of importance to the co-op sector. CLICK HERE to download the full text of CCA's platform document in English or CLICK HERE to download the document in French.

For more information about CCA's government relations activities, contact Denyse Guy, executive director of CCA, at denyse.guy@coopscanada.coop.