Mr. Speaker, last week was National Co-op Week.
In recognition of this event I invite members of the House and all Canadians to celebrate the contributions of the men and women who have chosen co-operative enterprise as their way of promoting the social and economic well-being of Canadian communities.
Some 10,000 Canadian co-operatives are a powerful social and economic force in Canada today.
Co-operatives have proven themselves to be a major job creator. In 1996 they employed more than 151,000 Canadians and generated a combined business volume of $36.3 billion.
I wish to congratulate all those in the co-operative movement for their considerable achievements over the past year and I invite all Canadians to join in the celebration of co-ops in Canada.