Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague from the industry committee and also for the proposition of having the industry committee being part of the committee that would be dealing with co-operatives.
Upon hearing the announcement of the cuts to the co-operative development initiative program that was providing funding for the Rural and Co-operatives Secretariat, as well as other related funding that was cut in the recent budget, Denyse Guy, executive director of the Canadian Co-operative Association, said:
If the government is truly committed to creating jobs and fostering innovation, we can’t understand why it would cut a program that cost very little--just over $4 million a year--and made a difference in hundreds of communities across the country.
I would like to hear his comments on why the budget cuts for these very meaningful programs that helped co-operatives in all regions of Canada.