Special Committee on Cooperatives committee  It is difficult to answer your question. You are asking difficult questions. I do not know the magic percentage required to meet the needs of cooperatives. I think that it varies greatly from one case to another and from one organization to another.

Special Committee on Cooperatives committee  The tax aspect can be developed. It does not cost the government very much money, has a multiplier effect and is very helpful to cooperatives. All the tax aspects are not insignificant. Earlier, we were talking about a federal cooperative investment plan that would constitute an

Special Committee on Cooperatives committee  As I explained a bit in my presentation, the CDR is supported through a partnership agreement between the Quebec cooperative movement and the Government of Quebec. The CDI is another thing. It is a federal government program that the CDR used in part but not to support cooperativ

Special Committee on Cooperatives committee  It varies greatly from case to case. The needs are completely different for the start-up of a small cooperative than for the development of a cooperative the size of Agropur, for example. I will let the Agropur representatives speak about their own situation, but in our sector,

Special Committee on Cooperatives committee  That is our greatest desire. If the federal government were to adopt similar measures, the domino effect would certainly be considerable. During my presentation, I briefly discussed business succession. We see a lot of company relocation in our regions. They are bought out by fo

Special Committee on Cooperatives committee  Thank you for your question. I would say it could have several answers. I will look at it from a very specific standpoint. Cooperatives are created to meet a need. The closing of a company with 25 employees in a village of 1,000 has a much greater impact on its community than th

Special Committee on Cooperatives committee  When a positive program that supports development is abolished, there are some repercussions, of course. Unfortunately, the rest of Canada will be even more penalized than Quebec. We in Quebec are lucky to have a partnership agreement with the provincial government that supports

Special Committee on Cooperatives committee  That's a good question. I don't have the exact answer. I think there are more cooperatives in rural areas in general, but I don't know what the exact percentage is.

Special Committee on Cooperatives committee  It has not been decreasing, but I don't have the exact data with me. Some areas of activity only develop in urban settings. Take, for instance, the cultural cooperative sector. There aren't many cultural cooperatives in small villages, but there are in Quebec City and Montreal.

Special Committee on Cooperatives committee  Far be it for me to put words into the mouths of politicians who are here to make decisions on implementation mechanisms. Any support measures and any programs that can help existing organizations better structure their actions could be used as leverage. At times, provinces have

Special Committee on Cooperatives committee  Ladies and gentlemen members of the committee, good afternoon. I am happy to see you. Thank you for striking this committee to study cooperatives. I am the President of the Fédération des coopératives de développement régional du Québec—Quebec's federation of regional developme