Mr. Speaker, Corporate Knights is a respected quarterly magazine which, for 11 years, has been publishing the list of best 50 corporate citizens of Canada. To do so, it uses 11 indicators that measure social and environmental performance and corporate governance.
The top three companies this year are: Le Groupe Desjardins, Vancouver City Savings Credit Union and the Co-operators Group. It is fitting that in this, the International Year of Co-operatives, the three leading corporate citizens in Canada are co-ops.
Monique Leroux, the chair of the board, president and CEO of Le Groupe Desjardins, had this to say, “This speaks volumes about our 'cooperative DNA'. As organizations, we’re rooted in our communities, dedicated to our people and the environment, and managed with a view to long-term development.”
As well, all three companies are led by women: Monique Leroux for Desjardins; Tamara Vrooman, CEO of Vancity; and Kathy Bardswick, president and CEO of the Co-operators Group Limited.
Here also, the co-ops are truly leading the way.