Co-operatives, whether operating as Credit Unions, housing cooperatives, or retail businesses, have historically played an important role in Canadian economic activities.

The Green Party believes that consumer and producer co-operatives should play a greater role in Canada’s economy and society.

Green Party MPs will:

• Work to have the Government of Canada examine the laws, regulations, and tax system of Canada to determine how they may be changed to enhance opportunities for co-operatives, including co-operative federations incorporating banks or credit unions, such as the highly successful Mondragon and Valencia co-operative federations of Spain. This will require revisiting and repealing changes to the tax treatment of Credit Unions in several recent omnibus bills;
• Launch a Federal Co-operative Investment Strategy with two components: a Canadian Co-operative Development Fund and a federal Co-operative Investment Plan;
• Make the federal Co-operative Development Initiative permanent and expand it into the new area of conversions of existing business that are contemplating winding up into worker co-operatives;
• Re-establish funding for housing co-operatives through a newly mandated Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) to help solve the growing problems of homelessness and shortage of affordable housing;
• Foster the creation and/or conversion of energy co-operatives to give more power to citizens and regions.