Canada's co-operative movement

Canada has a dynamic and vibrant co-operative movement, made of a variety of local, provincial, regional and national networks. They are connected to other co-operative movements around the world through two main international organizations, the International Co-operative Alliance and the World Council of Credit Unions.

Some of the organizations that make up Canada's co-operative movement include:

Two national co-operative associations, the Canadian Co-operative Association and the Conseil canadien de la coopération et de la mutualité.

Credit Union Central of Canada, which represents credit unions outside Quebec.

The Mouvement Desjardins, which represents caisses populaires in Quebec and in a number of francophone communities outside Quebec.

Provincial co-operative associations: there are nine provincial associations representing English-language co-operatives and eight provincial conseils representing French-language co-operatives.

Provincial and regional credit union centrals, such as Central 1 Credit Union (BC and Ontario), Atlantic Central, Credit Union Central of Manitoba, Credit Union Central of Saskatchewan and Credit Union Central Alberta Ltd.

Sectoral co-operative federations representing specific types of co-ops such as housing co-ops, worker co-ops, health care co-ops, funeral co-ops, etc.

Networks of local consumer co-operatives, such as Federated Co-operatives Limited, Co-op Atlantic, Arctic Co-operatives Ltd. and GROWMARK, Inc.

In some parts of Canada, there are local co-operative networks such as the Regional Development Co-operatives in different areas of Quebec and the South Islands Regional Co-operative Network in British Columbia.