With your permission, I will also react to the comment by Mr. Bélanger, who invited our organizations to work together. I don't want to speak for the other provinces, but, in New Brunswick, our organization currently represents 40 cooperatives from various activity sectors and 20 member support organizations, including the Société nationale de l'Acadie, which Mr. Nadeau represents. Our organization has very good relations with RDÉE, which is collaborating on various cases in which we are assisting new cooperatives, on special projects of existing cooperatives and consensus-building forums on cooperative development opportunities in our area.
Our roles are complementary, as it were. That aspect of New Brunswick has to be acknowledged. While we offer direct assistance to cooperative project promoters, which includes business plans, feasibility studies, governance training sessions and strategic plans, RDÉE contributes as a partner to funding, which has a leverage effect. Even though it's modest, it's significant. RDÉE officers sit on various promotional committees that we assist. They assist a number of committees, but not necessarily all of them.
In New Brunswick, we recognize the importance of that collaboration on both sides. We also acknowledge that the cooperative network is in the best position to provide direct assistance. RDÉE instead plays a facilitation role in that regard. It has become essential for it to be included in the Roadmap as a recognized partner with the resources it needs, or at least for both RDÉE and us.