I was pleasantly surprised this morning when I consulted on Ipolitics.ca the results of a national survey by Abacus Data on behalf of the Canadian Cooperative Association. The survey seeks to understand what Canadians know about cooperatives and how they feel about them. In general, the survey reveals a strong appetite among Canadians for the cooperative model. Indeed, 83% of respondents say they prefer to shop at local businesses that share their profits with member-owners and invest in their community, rather than at privately owned businesses part of larger chains. In addition, 85% of people say they have heard of a cooperative before. This knowledge of cooperatives is more pronounced in the Atlantic provinces, Quebec and the prairies.

 

The survey results reveal the great interest of Canadians in the cooperative model. We note also that a large majority of Canadians are already members of one or more cooperatives, particularly in Western Canada and Quebec.

 

That said, however, we learn that only 5% of Canadians are aware that 2012 is the International Year of Cooperatives. Obviously, there is an advocacy work that needs to be done at that level. For this reason, I find unfortunate the minister's reply to my question on Friday, May 18^th.

 

FROM HANSARD

 

CANADIAN CO-OPERATIVES

 

Hon. Mauril Bélanger (Ottawa—Vanier, Lib.):

 

Mr. Speaker, on January 12, 2012, to launch the International Year of Co-operatives, the Minister of Veterans Affairs said on behalf of the government that the International Year of Co-operatives is a perfect opportunity to raise public awareness about co-operatives and their ability to meet the needs of Canadians, and that the common goal was to help co-operatives gain recognition in order to ensure they have more support and more exposure.

 

Can the government tell us what it has done since then to give Canadian co-operatives more support and more exposure?

 

[English]
Hon. Gerry Ritz (Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food and Minister for the Canadian Wheat Board, CPC):

 

Mr. Speaker, with some 9,000 co-ops, 18 million members and some net worth of $350 billion or $360 billion, I think co-ops have a great foundation to continue this work on their own.

 

To learn more about the survey, please visit the following link on Ipolitics.ca:

 

Mauril

 

 

Honourable Mauril Bélanger, M.P. for Ottawa—Vanier

Cooperative Advocate for the Liberal Party of Canada