Special Committee on Cooperatives committee  We aren't the experts in that, so we rely on third parties. We don't do our own monitoring; we rely on third parties who specialize in monitoring to audit our factories and report back to us. We operate within a policy that says what's allowable and when there is an infraction found how we deal with it.

Special Committee on Cooperatives committee  Right now our scope is with the products we produce, so we work to improve the conditions in the factories where we produce our products.

Special Committee on Cooperatives committee  In fact Ottawa is undergoing renovation at the moment, and if you come into the store as our renovation wraps up you will see examples of that. We just opened a few weeks ago a new store in North Vancouver. It's beautiful. It's in an area where we've rehabilitated the land coming off a stream.

Special Committee on Cooperatives committee  In terms of what we need from the government or what the government's role is, I would go back to the Canadian Co-operative Association, which has a much better handle on the varied needs. Again, there's no one prescription. I think there are probably structural as well as financial contributions and support that the government can provide, and I would look to the CCA to provide that direction.

Special Committee on Cooperatives committee  We have many, many co-ops, and they are varied in size, structure, and mission. It is challenging to speak on behalf of all cooperatives, but certainly what I've been hearing through the Canadian Co-operative Association is that access to capital, in some cases, is a challenge, especially with the smaller organizations.

Special Committee on Cooperatives committee  Well, it depends. First of all, within each community where we operate, we support organizations locally. We're serving our members locally. There are national organizations, such as CPAWS, which we partner with and support. Some of the organizations are national and some are local.

Special Committee on Cooperatives committee  Thanks, Shona. What are those areas that are important to our members? Sustainability is critical in terms of facilities and green buildings but also in terms of our products and our supply chain. We are continually working to reduce our environmental footprint. Operating according to an ethical sourcing policy is important to our members.