Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the opportunity to speak on behalf of my Reform colleagues with regard to National Co-Operative Week and International Credit Union Day.
The co-op movement has a long and proud tradition in my province of Saskatchewan. It has played a significant role in the development of the province, in our nation and lands beyond our borders.
I pause to reminisce for a minute. My father was involved in some of the early co-operative movements. In fact his membership number in the Western Credit and Savings Union in Swift Current, Saskatchewan, was 152 which indicates some of the history and grassroots nature of the movement.
Like most people in the prairies, and perhaps across Canada, I belong to several co-operatives. Interestingly enough, one of the first meetings I had as a member of Parliament was with the credit union management, members and boards of directors in west central Saskatchewan. It was a very profitable meeting, indeed. They were concerned about federal issues that are dealt with by the Parliament of Canada and they were happy to meet with their MP.
The concept is simple and sensible. A group of consumers or producers ban together to strengthen their bargaining position in the buying and selling of products. When members are buying they increase their competitive edge and when they sell they lower their marketing costs.
Co-ops have had their ups and downs, their triumphs and failures, as do most business enterprises, but they have been most successful when they have stayed out of the world of politics and focused on doing business and doing it well. Co-ops are businesses, and their job is to do business effectively for their owners, who are the co-op members, ordinary people who buy and sell.
Today I extend my best wishes to the co-ops and credit unions of Canada and the world. This includes their members, their boards of directors, their employees and their millions of customers.