Finance committee  I would just add that some of the base community economic and development and social economy activities are bringing people into the formal economy. At the very margins it's expanding cooperative basic small enterprise; it's expanding the formal economy from where informal underground economic activities may have been before.

Finance committee  Exactly: they facilitate collective entrepreneurship.

Finance committee  My understanding is that the original agreement was a three-year funding commitment and that it has been renewed for one year.

Finance committee  I think recommendation 3 involves some of the existing funding programs, especially Industry Canada's community development program, which funds community futures development associations across the country and community economic development corporations in Quebec. That's currently up for renewal, so we would encourage that to stay in funding.

Finance committee  In that particular program? I'd need to check .

Finance committee  In terms of legislative changes federally, we've just adopted a new non-profit act, and provinces have as well. In many jurisdictions, for example, there are no multi-stakeholder cooperatives, which is by far the most popular legal structure for social enterprises to be created.

Finance committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair. Members of the committee, thank you for the opportunity to present our recommendations today. I'm joined by Stacia Kean, a member of our board of directors from PARO Enterprise Centre in Thunder Bay, as well as Lynne Markell from the Canadian Co-operative Association, a member of our policy council.

Finance committee  Mr. Chair and members, thank you for the opportunity to present our recommendations to you today. I'm especially pleased to be part of the influential group that gets to follow up your hearings yesterday with the Governor of the Bank of Canada and the Minister of Finance. We're clearly in good circles for recommendations.