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OTTAWA, December 5, 2016 – The Board of Directors of Co-operatives and Mutuals Canada (CMC) elected Doug Potentier as President and Chair of the Board. The mid-year appointment was done following the appointment of Ms. Lucie Moncion to the Senate of Canada.
“I’m honored and pleased to accept the leadership of CMC as we approach 2017, a momentous year in Canada and full of potential for the sector and for our organization” said Mr. Potentier. “Canada’s 150th will cause all Canadians to reflect on how Canada has developed, and co-operatives and mutuals are a significant part of what built our country since even before confederation. Today we have 9,000 co-operatives and mutuals from coast to coast to coast representing 18 Million Canadian members and our growth will continue to build and address the needs of our communities.”
“I’m also very pleased to congratulate Lucie Moncion on her appointment to the Senate of Canada where she will be a strong voice for Canada’s co-operatives and mutuals” continued Mr. Potentier.
Doug Potentier is from Victoria, British Columbia and is the designated representative of Federated Co-operatives Limited (FCL) to the CMC Board. Mr. Potentier was elected to the FCL Board of Directors in 2008, and in 2015 he was elected Vice-Chair of the Board and Calgary Region Chair. He represents the 16 retail co-operatives in FCL’s district 4, which covers Vancouver Island, southern British Columbia and northwest British Columbia.
Mr. Potentier is also FCL’s representative to the British Columbia Co-operative Association, and the BC region of The Co‑operators. Doug Potentier is the first FCL representative to chair the CMC board of directors. Mr. Potentier was elected to the CMC Board in June 2015 and has served as Vice-President since June 2016.
A certified Canadian Management Professional (CMP), Mr. Potentier has also completed the Directors Education Program (DEP) for Directors of Large Companies/Organizations, offered by Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto. Doug retired from the Victoria Police Department, where he was the Deputy Chief, in 2001.
CMC Director Mark Needham was elected Vice-President and the Board will not fill the empty seat until June 2017.
About CMC: Co-operatives and Mutuals Canada is the national, bilingual association for co-operatives and mutuals in Canada. Through advocacy with the federal government, CMC provides a knowledgeable voice committed to improving the economic and regulatory environment for co-operatives and mutuals on behalf of our members. CMC’s members come from many sectors of the economy, including finance, insurance, agri-food and supply, wholesale and retail, housing, health, forestry, education, funeral services, public utilities and community development. CMC provides leadership to support, promote, and develop the co-operative economy in Canada. The co-operative and mutual movement in Canada counts more than 18 million memberships from approximately 9,000 co-operative and mutual enterprises.
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For further information:
Brendan Denovan, Manager of Communications
613.238.6712 x206
bdenovan@canada.coop
Co-operatives and Mutuals Canada 275 Bank Street, Suite 400 Ottawa ON K2P 2L6