Government of Canada in 2012

The Government of Canada fully recognizes the participation of co-operatives in economic development and social innovation. On December 18, 2009, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution declaring 2012 the International Year of Co-operatives and asking governments to create an environment conducive for co-operative development.

Even before the official announcement, the Honourable Jean -Pierre Blackburn, Minister of Veterans Affairs and Minister of State (Agriculture), expressed Canada's support for this resolution during a press conference held in Ottawa.

Read the news release.

Since then, the Government of Canada has taken an approach based on three specific axis: the development of a strategic action plan on co-operatives, increased efforts to improve co-operatives' visibility in Canada and our participation in celebrations in 2012.