From 13 to 26 August 2025, CMC was delighted to help showcase the Canadian co-operative mouvement, by coordinating a study tour for a delegation of co-op leaders from Ghana. The four guests included the Acting Secretary General of the Ghana Cooperatives Council, the General Manager and Chair of the Juaboso MICL Cooperatives Cocoa Farmers and Marketing Union Ltd and an Executive member of the BIA West MICL, Cooperatives Cocoa Farmers and Marketing Union Ltd. They were hosted in turn by Denyse Guy, Consultant and former Executive Director of CMC, and Daniel Brunette of CMC.
Their journey of discovery covered more than 1500 kilometers and allowed them to see that co-ops in Canada have both a rich history and keep evolving, and also reinforced the notion that that the model is feasible in all sectors.
The Study Tour started on a very strong note in Longueuil, where the delegation learned about Agropur, one of North America’s leading dairy processors. The following day brought them to Baie d’Urfé and the Fédération des coopératives du Nouveau-Québec Ilagiisaq (FCNQ), where they learned about the history and operational realities of the co-operatives in Northern Quebec, though a presentation and tours of both the shipping facility and Inuit Art warehouse.
The group then went into Montreal to meet with La coop WEBTV, which offers a full range of solutions that put information and communications technologies at the service of the social economy and citizen movements. The latter was their first practical introduction to multi-stakeholder co-operatives, which are not yet in existence in Ghana. The weekend included experiencing the unique vibe that is only found in Montreal in the Summer, from late night street music to Old Port celebrations, not to mention a smoked meat sandwich in the namesake city.
The following week began by a series of meetings held at the Université du Québec in Trois-Rivières, where the delegation learned well-established networks and their operations of their local members, including Coopsco 3-Rivières, Promutuel Assurance Verchères – Les Forges and the La Coopérative de développement régional du Québec (CDRQ) – Centre-Du-Québec/Mauricie (CDRCQM), while also touching on co-op research at the Institut international des coopératives Alphonse-et-Dorimène Desjardins (IICADD) and Youth in co-ops.
The following day brought them to SOCODEVI, the international development agency that is operating in Ghana through the TogetHer Project, reinforcing the resilience of cocoa families through technical assistance, the establishment of agroforestry systems and innovative mechanisms for managing agricultural risks in communities that are well-known to the delegation members. This was followed by the introduction to Fédération des coopératives d’alimentation du Québec) (FCAQ), the network that serves 65 food retail co-operatives in Quebec and New Brunswick. The formal day concluded with an on-site meeting with a founding member of the Coopérative du Quartier Petit Champlain, which was the result of artisans and merchants coming together in 1985 to buy the housing stock in this heritage neighbourhood, saving it from a sale to a group of American investors. This last location also allowed them to understand the role of co-operatives in tourism, and complimented their other non-co-op stops on the Ile d’Orléans, at Montmorency Falls, the Old city and at an (off season) sugar shack.
The middle of the week brought them to Lévis, where they met with the Conseil québécois de la cooperation et de la mutualité, which allowed them to learn about the amazing enabling policy environment in La Belle Province, as well as the leadership roles of the provincial apex association. The group then made its way to Desjardins, where they learned about largest co-operative financial group in Canada, and then participated in a private tour of the Maison Alphonse Desjardins, where it all started.
The following morning was dedicated to Le Consortium de coopération des entreprises collectives, where representatives from this successful and innovative shared services provider also presented some of their members, including the Fédération Québécoise des cooperatives de santé (FQCS) and the Fédération des cooperatives de câblodistribution et de télécommunications du Québec (FCCTQ) and the Réseau de cooperation des entreprises d’économie sociale en aide à domicile (EÉSADS). A meal, including classic tourtière, was served much to the delight of the participants.
Friday morning in Ottawa began with a meeting with Alexandra Wilson, ICA Board member and Chair of the Cooperative Identity Advisory Group (ICA), where the ongoing activities of the ICA were discussed and the opportunities for Ghana to contribute to the worldwide consultations were flagged. The group then moved to a central location, where a series of presentations occurred. Following a quick overview of the Canadian co-op landscape by CMC, the Co-operative Development Foundation of Canada presented its activities, with an emphasis on its history in Ghana and current VOICE for Women and Girls project. These were followed by an overview of Econocoop and their support of entities involved in early learning and childcare, La Siembra Worker Co-operative and their principle 6-based co-op, fair trade and organic supply chain, as well as the Co-operative Housing Federation of Canada, where co-op solutions to the housing affordability crisis in Canada were outlined. The day concluded with a tour of the La Siembra Worker Co-operative Warehouse, where Camino chocolate was enjoyed, as well as a walk in the Byward, where a Beavertail was sampled.
The Saturday drive down to the Toronto-area via Highway 7 allowed the group to stop in at Gay Lea’s Ivanhoe Cheese Store in Madoc Ontario, as well get a private tour of Wellsfarm in the township of Asphodel-Norwood. At the farm, Niels van Beek, a recent graduate of the Gay Lea Cooperative Leadership Program, provided insight on his experience as a dairy farmer and the importance of co-op education. The tourist stop at Niagara Falls was not co-op-related, and neither was the prompt to formally order a “Double Double” as part of their Canadian experience checklist, but the opportunities were seized nonetheless that weekend!
The final meetings of the Study tour took place in Guelph, where the group was flabbergasted by an overview and tour of the new Co-operators Sustainable Head Office, which was followed by a presentation from Gay Lea Foods Co-operative Ltd. The group then reconnected with Denyse Guy for a debrief on the experience, before grabbing a final typically Canadian snack in the form of ketchup chips, on their way to the airport.
CMC would sincerely like to thank everyone involved in the coordination or delivery of presentations to the delegation from Ghana, who were left were left with a very positive impression of the co-operative and mutualist movement in Canada, and the diverse ways that the model can meet community needs beyond agriculture and credit unions, the dominant forms back home.
We look forward to continuing these collaborations and advancing co-operatives and mutuals across the country.
Want to see Daniel in your city soon to feature your co-operative? Contact him to find out when he’s coming to your province or territory so you can be featured in an upcoming issue of Dan’s Adventures! Email him at dbrunette@canada.coop.