Mr. Speaker, I stand on behalf of my party to support Bill C-5, as amended.
The amendments up to now, until the recent amendment which was moved quickly, were consistent with the co-operative way of doing business. The co-operative movement during consultations was challenged to support the bill as it was drafted, as well as the amendments. It went two rounds in the co-operative sector before it went one round in the federal sector. That shows great respect for the co-operative movement. These amendments seem to be all but technical issues. The co-operative sector actively discussed the amendments as did officials from Industry Canada, the co-op secretariat of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and there was a representation from the co-op of national organizations.
With respect to the position that the co-op sector has had in its gatherings as representatives, this bill seems to be a great step for our country. I would like to talk to the whole co-operative movement about how it will deal in light of the increasingly globalized world.
There are many federated co-op activities in Canada in areas related to fuel and food and many other items that meet the basic economic needs of people in this country. There is one key phrase among these items, “Truly Canadian”. That is probably the most powerful message of the co-operative movement. That is a unity message for us. Even our fellow representatives from Quebec showed support for a co-operative movement in their provinces. That co-op supports the idea that people should combine their efforts, their resources and their visions in an effort to create and support our economy. An entrepreneur from downtown New York would never imagine helping someone in small town Canada.
We have seen the Arctic co-ops shine. They are groups of partisans and craftsmen who have gathered their crafts and their marketing skills and have shown the world that as Inuit artists they could not do it singlehandedly. An individual could not create the energy or the economy or the resources, but many individuals could create collectively. As a collective the Inuit artists can be seen as a spotlight of this nation throughout the world.
I draw the House's attention to some of the experiences the co-ops have created in this country. In my neck of the woods, the Boreal Forest, the fur industry was a major activity. It was handled through Hudson's Bay and the Rupert's Land agreements of the British North America Act. All of a sudden the fur trade began to wither away. Nobody represented the trappers. All of a sudden their whole economy was falling apart.
The fur marketing board started up in northern Saskatchewan and the province of Saskatchewan through the CCF movement saw the light that could empower the people to market their own product.