Co-ops are now. That was the energy in the room at CMC’s Co-operative Networking Breakfast on Parliament Hill, co-hosted by Senator Lucie Moncion and Senator Mary Coyle. For more than 150 years, co-ops, mutuals, caisses, and credit unions have offered economic security to over 11 million Canadians. They’re proving to be more innovative, more resilient, and more in tune with Canadian values—and as we mark the spirit of the International Year of Co-operatives, the takeaway was simple: a more co-operative economy is a powerful, practical path forward.
Senator Mary Coyle set a warm, optimistic tone in her welcome. MP Ryan Turnbull followed with a grounded reminder that co-ops aren’t abstract, they’re engines of local prosperity, climate solutions, and community wealth. From there, the conversation flowed into an easy, candid panel. Marie-Josée Paquette, CEO of CQCM and member of the CMC Board, talked about how a modern policy toolkit and catalytic finance can unlock more co-op growth. Marc-André Pigeon of the Canadian Centre for the Study of Co-operatives (University of Saskatchewan) brought the evidence: Canadian co-ops ride out shocks better because members, not distant shareholders, set the course. Cassia Kantrow, Chair of the Co-operative Housing Federation of Canada, grounded us in the housing crisis and showed how member-led models protect affordability over decades, not months. And Michael Toye, CMC’s Executive Director, tied it together with a reminder of the power of the cooperative sector and our members.
The best proof was the buzz as attendees networked. Co-op products on tables. Quick hellos turning into “let’s build that.” We were glad to see boards and partners fully present: Co-operatives and Mutuals Canada, the Co-operative Development Foundation of Canada, and the Co-operative Housing Federation of Canada, and more at the ready to make co-ops shine. It felt like a movement in motion with ideas trading hands, partnerships forming, and momentum building.
Senator Lucie Moncion closed us out with heartfelt thanks and a simple challenge: keep going, together, and make co-ops the default option Canadians can reach for, at work, at home, and in their communities. Our most sincere thanks to all parliamentarians and political staff in attendance for your engagement and support; your presence matters and moves this work forward. Thank you to our co-hosts, Senators Moncion and Coyle, for the opportunity to showcase co-ops on the national stage and to MP Ryan Turnbull, for your continued collaboration and dedicated allyship. To our panelists, thank you for the clarity, the candor, and the push to keep building a resilient, innovative, and inclusive co-operative economy. Our thanks to the co-operative and mutuals sector who showed up in droves to represent and showcase the amazing work being done from coast to coast to coast.
Let’s keep engaging and positioning co-ops as civic infrastructures, and the most Canadian enterprises. Let’s keep the momentum going up to Co-op Week!
Explore the official photo gallery and relive the highlights.
