Mr. Speaker, today, Friday November 5, 2004, marks the 150th anniversary of the birth of the founder of the caisses populaires, Alphonse Desjardins, considered the father of the cooperative savings and loan movement in North America. It is therefore important to note the birth of this great builder.
The Mouvement des caisses Desjardins is today the largest financial institution in Quebec and the sixth largest in Canada, with 5 million member-clients and total assets in excess of $100 billion. Its strength depends on the skill and commitment of its 38,000-plus employees and close to 7,500 elected directors.
The model designed by Alphonse Desjardins has spread to the United States and English Canada, where there are several major networks of credit unions.
In Beauce alone the caisses Desjardins employ 737 people and have contributed this past year close to $1 million to the community development fund and in sponsorships and donations.
Alphonse Desjardins was a man with a strong vision for the world, and his vision lives on.