Mr. Speaker, next week Canadians will observe National Co-op Week, and Credit Union Day will be celebrated on Thursday, October 16.
We have in Canada about 10,000 co-operatives, which employ more than 150,000 people and engage thousands of volunteers.
Co-operatives are major economic contributors to our community. They capture wealth locally, returning dividends to members, and they provide good jobs paying good salaries.
Co-operatives play a role well beyond the strictly economic. They develop leaders for civil society and they invest in a wide array of worthy community projects.
Our modern co-ops owe a lot to the Antigonish Movement led by Father Moses Coady, who encouraged people to come together in study groups to empower one another.
I would also like to applaud the work of the local credit unions in my community, the Heritage and the Atlantic Credit Unions. I wish to congratulate the work of co-operatives and credit unions in my home province and throughout Canada.