On January 29, Co-operatives and Mutuals Canada (CMC) convened the first meeting of its newly established Council of Economic Advisors, bringing together an exceptional group of leading economists from across the country.
The Council includes chief economists from major co-operative and mutual institutions, alongside respected academic economists. It was created to provide strategic guidance on CMC’s economic research and policy work, including the 2026 Economic Impact Study and the development of a new flagship report, Power the Economy, to be released later this year.
The inaugural meeting focused on gathering expert feedback on how to:
- strengthen the economic narrative around co-operatives and mutuals; and
- improve how economic and social impacts are measured and communicated to policymakers.
Discussions were highly engaged and constructive. Advisors offered valuable insights on framing co-operatives as fiscally efficient, resilient, and community-rooted economic actors—well positioned to address key policy priorities such as affordability, SME succession, regional development, and economic stability.
The Council’s input will directly inform CMC’s research and advocacy throughout 2026. Members will reconvene later this spring to review draft findings from the Economic Impact Study.
CMC extends its sincere thanks to the Council members for their leadership, expertise, and commitment to strengthening the economic case for co-operatives and mutuals in Canada.
Council of Economic Advisors
- Bryan Yu – Chief Economist, Central 1
- Charles St-Arnaud – Chief Economist, Servus Credit Union
- Dilek Sayedahmed – Senior Economist, NYU
- Jimmy Jean – VP, Chief Economist and Strategist, Desjardins
- John Kay – Board President, Co-operatives and Mutuals Canada
- Judith Bosire – Chief Economist, Vancity
- Kaylie Thiessen – Chief Economist, The Canadian SHIELD Institute
- Marc-André Pigeon – Assistant Professor, University of Saskatchewan; Director, Canadian Centre for the Study of Co-operatives
- Margie Mendell – Distinguished Professor Emeritus Professor, Concordia University
- Sean Gobbey – Associate Professor, University of Waterloo; Director of the Waterloo Institute for Complexity and Innovation
- Sonja Novkovic – Professor Emerita, Saint Mary’s University; Academic Director of the International Centre for Co-operative Management at Saint Mary’s
- Yanick Desnoyers – Chief Economic Strategist, Addenda Capital