Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise in the House today to speak to this motion calling on the government to recognize the important role co-operatives play in the economy and ensure that they continue to thrive.
Co-operatives provide economic strength to our regions. They have contributed tremendously to the economy in the past and will continue to contribute greatly in the future. A federal strategy is important for strengthening co-operatives while encouraging their creation and longevity.
I recognize the co-operatives' important contribution to the economy. The co-operative movement was the impetus to collective entrepreneurship in Montérégie in many fields. In my riding, there are excellent co-operatives that provide essential services and strive to offer the best service and products at all times.
My personal experience with co-operatives began when I was very young because I come from a village where there is an electrical power co-operative, the Coopérative de Saint-Jean-Baptiste. When I got to cégep, one of my first commitments was to become president of the student co-operative. That is when I came up with my signature, because I had to sign 1,000 membership cards in one evening for the first day of school the next day. I still use the same signature today.
After that, when I entered the job market, I was the president and founder of a housing co-operative, where I lived for several years. I was also the vice president of a food co-operative. I am still a member of the Coopérative funéraire de Saint-Hyacinthe, and I hope to remain a member for a very long time.
In my riding, Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot, co-operatives are well established and make a significant contribution to the vitality and pride of my riding. I would like to give a few examples.
The first one, Coop fédérée, is very important for the agri-food sector. People often do not realize that they are doing business with this co-operative. People know that it is in the agricultural sector, but it is also involved in the retail and innovation sectors. For example, when people fill up at a Sonic service station, or buy propane from it, or when they shop at a BMR or Unimat hardware store, they are doing business with Coop fédérée.
When people buy Olymel meat products at the grocery store, whether they are pork or poultry products, they do not realize that they are supporting a co-operative. We are very proud that Olymel's headquarters is in Saint-Hyacinthe. This co-operative has a sterling reputation. It now has about 100 affiliated co-operatives that are owned by 108,000 people.
Many other co-operatives in my riding are affiliated with the Coop fédérée. For example, there is also Coop Comax, which resulted from the merger of the following seven agricultural co-ops in my region: La Présentation, Saint-Barnabé-Sud, Saint-Nazaire, Saint-Denis-sur-Richelieu, Saint-Antoine-sur-Richelieu, Verchères, and Sainte-Rosalie.
There is also Coop Sainte-Hélène and Coop des Montérégiennes, which resulted from the merger of the following three co-operatives: St-André-d'Acton, Saint-Damase, and Coop Excel. It is one of the 10 largest agricultural co-operatives in the province and a major social and economic driver in our region.
Of course, in my riding, we also have the well-known dairy co-operative Agropur, which has the Damafro plant in Saint-Damase, which it bought, and another plant in Saint-Hyacinthe.
I know that many of my colleagues from Quebec and elsewhere travel through Saint-Hyacinthe as they take the Trans-Canada Highway between Montreal and Quebec City. I invite them to visit because Agropur has a distribution centre. The co-operative bought an old car dealership, which has a lovely showroom where people can buy fine cheeses from Agropur and other Quebec cheese factories for a really good price. I invite all members to go there.
The Coopérative aux P'tits Soins was created as a result of a need for services for seniors and people who are losing their autonomy. It is an in-home support co-operative, a wonderful socio-economic project that provides seniors and those losing their autonomy with help at home, including high-quality housekeeping services.
We can see that co-operatives have had an extremely positive impact on the local economies in Quebec. I see it in my riding. We are proud of the success of our co-operatives.
The economic benefits of co-operatives are significant. In the Montérégie area, this translates into more than 200 non-financial co-operatives, more than 7,000 jobs, and more than 80,000 members. However, there is one co-operative that I would like to talk about in more detail today. I did not know about this co-operative, but it presented a very important and innovative project for my riding. CoopTel is located in the riding of my colleague from Shefford, which is right beside my riding.
It was established 70 years ago. Its mission is to provide diversified and reliable telecommunications products and services, which evolve along with the needs of customers and their community, at competitive prices, thanks to the contribution of an evolving technology and competent and engaged partners. This sector has major stakeholders. It is truly amazing that one of our co-operatives provides this service.
I decided to actively contribute to the rollout of fibre optic throughout my riding in order to have high quality and affordable Internet access throughout the region. This project is not just CoopTel's and my doing: it is the result of the determination of all the stakeholders in my riding. When they attended the economic forum of the greater Saint-Hyacinthe chamber of commerce, stakeholders talked about how crucial a fibre optic network is to co-operatives and all SMEs. I would add that it is also very important for families.
The CoopTel project is a major project aimed at bringing five RCMs online, over hundreds and hundreds of kilometres. Such a project will help our co-operatives excel, as well as be more productive and more competitive. This major infrastructure project will be submitted for funding under the “connect to innovate” program. This project is very important to my riding. It will help bring fibre optics to many municipalities, including the Saint-Édouard sector in Saint-Liboire, the Saint-Barnabé-Sud sector, the rural part of Saint-Thomas-d'Aquin, the countryside surrounding Saint-Barnabé, and the Saint-Jude, Saint-Hugues, and Sainte-Hélène-de-Bagot sectors. In those municipalities, many businesses depend on reliable Internet access. Small and medium-size businesses face challenges that other, larger businesses do not have. Businesses owners must first have vision and leadership, and they also have to reassure us that they have the tools they need.
Although the government has invested $100 million a year for Canada as a whole and the Government of Quebec launched its “Québec branché” initiative, which also has an envelope of $100 million, that is not nearly enough to meet all the needs.
It is 2017. High-speed Internet is a basic service. That is according to the CRTC, not me. The CRTC is calling for universal access to reliable broadband Internet service via fixed and mobile wireless networks in communities of all sizes. Will the government give people in Quebec's regions the means to achieve their ambitions? It is our duty to create the right economic conditions for that.
I am very proud of the co-operatives in my riding. Their reputations are well-established, and their contribution to our economy is vital. Our co-operatives are known nationwide. They are innovative and an undeniable economic force in my region. They create good jobs with good working conditions. They are our pride and joy.
I think we have a duty to help co-operatives thrive in our ridings. We must take advantage of the unique opportunity provided by the connect to innovate program. We in the House must understand and acknowledge that fast, reliable Internet access is critical to our businesses and to the vitality of our regions. The program needs more funding so that all communities, all businesses, and all co-operatives can thrive and achieve their full potential. It all starts with fast, reliable Internet access.