Thank you, Chair.
And thanks to the witnesses.
It's interesting to hear, because the credit union I belong to, FirstOntario in the province of Ontario, obviously started out as an auto workers' credit union, with one branch. And now I think it is the third or fourth largest in the province and has moved along. In fact, their ex-CEO, Mr. Lahey, is here this afternoon. He is now the CEO of Alterna.
Madam Gagné, and I believe Monsieur Brun, as well, talked about this idea that folks are innovating and changing, because in many places, at least on the financial side or the credit union side, many small industries would have had a one-branch credit union. Whether that be places like Ferranti-Packard, for instance, that used to be open in St. Catharines and is now closed, that credit union had to find a place to go when those employees no longer had a place to work. They ended up merging with different ones. I think they went to Meridian, actually, which is the largest in Ontario.
You started to talk about innovation and the sense that the visions, perhaps, and the mission statements are changing, especially on the financial side. But I think you were also alluding to the sense that the visions, and perhaps the mission statements, were changing on the non-financial side of cooperatives. They are looking at a broader picture that, yes, can sometimes be within a province and sometimes not, and in fact, I think, can be international.
I'm interested as to how policy-makers can help with that type of innovation for those who wish to choose it. Cooperatives are about decision-makers on the ground deciding that they wish to change their vision. They are not about having someone tell them that they must change their vision. It's the opposite view of for-profits or the investment style whereby someone at the top says that we're going to buy this or go buy that. Cooperatives are grassroots organizations that say, “What do the members want to do?” Basically, if you change your vision, you go and ask your members what they want to do.
Are there things we can help with when members decide that they want to change that vision? Or should we just leave you to do it on your own?
I'll certainly take an answer from whomever.