Dear Friends,
The All-Party Caucus on Co-operatives held its 7th meeting on Wednesday, March 25th, 2015. The theme of the meeting was “Health Care Co-operatives.”
I chaired this 7th meeting and welcomed the following invited guests: Ms. Vanessa Hammond, Chair of the Health Care Co-op Federation of Canada (HCCFC); Mr. Jean-Pierre Girard, a consultant on co-op and non-profit organizations); and Mr. Michaël Béland, representing the Fédération des coopératives de services à domicile et de santé du Québec (FCSDSQ). Several co-operators were in attendance from various organizations including YsOwl Maclure Co-op, Desjardins, Dalhousie University and La cooperative santé de Gatineau
The HCCFC is the umbrella organization for health co-operatives across our country.
The FCSDSQ brings together home care cooperatives, health cooperatives and non-profit organizations with a mandate to provide access to services through a social enterprise.
Mr. Jean-Pierre Girard, a consultant on co-operatives and non-profit organizations, was the first to present on March 25th. Being the lead researcher and editor of an international report released during the Second International Summit of Co-operatives, held in Québec City in October 2014, he provided an international perspective on co-ops and mutuals in the health and social care sector.
This international survey, which covers 59 countries around the world, is entitled “Better Health & Social Care: How are Co-ops & Mutuals Boosting Innovation & Access Worldwide?” It can be consulted at http://mauril.us8.list-manage.com/track/click?u=b41718098e627e170c31ea981&id=fc86cc3629&e=e0b722a911 (Please note the report is only available in English).
Mr. Girard stated that the survey confirms that the co-op model is excellent for developing health services around the world. He also mentioned that mutuals are very active in the development of health services, and he outlined the importance of using the innovative co-op model to help foster a health environment focused on promotion and prevention.
A brief Q&A about the survey with Mr. Girard is available at
http://mauril.us8.list-manage.com/track/click?u=b41718098e627e170c31ea981&id=a16ad02bcc&e=e0b722a911
Ms. Vanessa Hammond, Chair of the HCCFC, provided an overview of her organization and briefly highlighted the different types of activities that health care co-operatives undertake. There are interesting things happening in the area of health co-operatives, and I look forward to hearing more about them. Knowing that health care co-operatives are really making a notable difference in their community, I encourage you to learn more about this burgeoning sub-sector. You can access Ms. Hammond’s presentation via the following link http://mauril.us8.list-manage.com/track/click?u=b41718098e627e170c31ea981&id=4b9aec1a37&e=e0b722a911 .
Mr. Michaël Béland, representing la Fédération des coopératives de services à domicile et de santé du Québec (FCSDSQ), was the last to address the caucus. He explained that the Quebec federation has three pillars to their activities being Health Care, Home Care and Paramedics. I find quite impressive the scope of their work and I encourage you to consult Mr. Béland’s speech via the following link http://mauril.us8.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=b41718098e627e170c31ea981&id=52c1c59cfb&e=e0b722a911 .
At the end of the meeting I thanked everyone for attending and our guests for their valuable insights.
Our plan moving forward is to organize two other meetings of the All-Party Caucus on Co-operatives before the end of the parliamentary session.
As usual, I will keep you informed of my other co-op related activities.
Mauril
Honourable Mauril Bélanger, M.P. for Ottawa—Vanier Liberal Advocate for Co-operatives