Mr. Speaker, Canada will host the second edition of the International Summit of Cooperatives from October 6 to 9. More than 2,700 participants representing 93 countries will gather in Quebec City to discuss and share best practices and reflect on the challenges facing co-operatives and mutuals.
This summit shows the leadership of Canada's co-operative and mutualist sector. For several years, the gap between the rich and the poor has been growing, but our co-operatives are helping to build an economy that serves people, creating high-quality jobs and providing services that meet the real needs of our communities.
I invite all of my colleagues to celebrate the start of the summit, as well as Co-op Week, which will be held from October 13 to 19. Our co-operatives are essential to keeping our economy sustainable, democratic and 100% Canadian.