I think that we live in a democratic country. In my humble opinion, cooperatives democratize the economy. I somewhat agree with you. I did not have the opportunity to respond to Mr. Lemieux's questions.
Wealth is created by Canadians, the cooperatives that are in place and Canadian companies. Ms. Bédard spoke about the sustainability of these companies. Many cooperatives will celebrate significant anniversaries in the next few years. We want to continue to be present in each of our sectors, to ensure our sustainability and to continue to create jobs for our children and grandchildren.
Our company made a business decision recently. Had we considered only the financial aspect, we would have chosen to sell part of our company to foreigners. However, we reassured our managers and confirmed to them that we wanted to keep all of our dairy sectors.
Our democratic life is very real. We consult our members every five years. During the year, we contact over 2,000 of our members who participate in this consultation. In 2002 and 2007, they reiterated their willingness to continue to be present in all dairy sectors. They wanted our company to continue to work under the cooperative model. This assured them that, no matter what happened economically, this company would be there to process their milk. This is an insurance for them and for future generations. A cooperative is a heritage received from previous generations. We want this cooperative to continue so that future generations can benefit from it.
I am not among those who are in favour of demutualizing and selling sectors. In 10 or 20 years, our children and grandchildren will ask us why we made that decision. I think that we need to look at the long term and keep the profits and the wealth in Canada. We need companies to pay taxes and create high-quality jobs and we need the expertise to remain in Canada. I am convinced of this. Sometimes, I find myself preaching to the choir, but I believe in this. It does not take anything away from other companies or from their development models. We are not saying that the cooperative model is the only one that should exist, but I believe that it has its place.