The Ontario Co-operative Association (ON Co-op) and the Conseil de la coop\u00e9ration de l\u2019Ontario (CCO) have joined forces to organize the inaugural meeting of the All Party Co-operative Caucus in Ontario. The event took place on October 23 at Queen\u2019s Park.<\/p>\n
The two organizations worked with the three co-chairs of the Caucus, Mr. Ernie Hardeman (PC, Oxford), Mr. Percy Hatfield (NDP Windsor-Tecumseh) and Ms. Marie-France Lalonde (Liberal, Ottawa-Orl\u00e9ans). All three parties were well represented in caucus.<\/p>\n
Similar to the federal Co-op Caucus established up by CMC in 2014, the meetings allow a non-partisan caucus to establish a dialogue between elected representatives and co-operative enterprises regarding legislative and financial policies that have an impact on the co-operative sector.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Ontario co-operative sector continues to play a major role in the provincial economy and in strengthening its social fabric. We hope that this caucus will help us promote the co-operative advantage \u201csaid the president of CCO, Lucie Moncion. Mark Hamel, president of the Ontario Co-operative Association, suggested that \u201cThe need for a non-partisan parliamentary caucus in the legislature is very clear to raise awareness on a booming sector.\u201d<\/p>\n
The caucus will meet monthly from November onward.<\/p>\n