What does the Harper government have against cooperatives? Cooperatives are certainly well valued by Canadians, especially in the Atlantic provinces, but for some reason – perhaps because they aren’t solely about making profit – cooperatives are not eligible for some federal funding that for-profit businesses are.
Five years ago, the federal government reduced in many ways the mandate and relevance of Status of Women Canada. Apart from dropping any mention of the word “equality”, and forbidding that funds be used for advocating for change – now focussing on band aids rather than solutions – the government also added for-profit businesses and religious organizations to the groups that may apply for funding for projects related to women.
They also explicitly forbade that funding go to projects submitted by cooperatives.
Huh?
The government and Status of Women Canada officials give no explanation for this discrimination.
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