As has been said by you and Monsieur Lemieux and by Madame LeBlanc, I think cooperatives are quite an important feature in Canada.
There are more than 9,000 co-ops. There are approximately 800 in the agricultural area. Generally, they have about 18 million members, so a lot of us are members of cooperatives in various fields. They are in agriculture, as I mentioned, but also in health, financial services, child care, housing, insurance, and a great number of areas. They employ about 155,000 people. They have more than $250 billion in assets.
Growth in employment has been tracking the economy. They are present in the north. In some provinces they are significant employers, if not some of the largest employers. They allow members to reduce their risks or reduce costs, or they provide certain benefits to their memberships. As Mr. Connell has said, there are a number of other models of economic development, but cooperatives is one that has been valuable in rural areas.
As you said, Monsieur Lemieux, cooperatives are doing quite well. They have grown and are successful in their chosen fields.