Apex body Co-operatives and Mutuals Canada (CMC) has held its first meeting of the Council of Economic Advisors.
The new body comprises chief economists from Canada’s major co-operatives and mutuals as well as academics, and was formed to offer strategic guidance on CMC’s economic research and policy report.
Its first meeting, held on 29 January 29, aimed to gather feedback from the council to “strengthen the economic narrative around co-operatives and mutuals, and improve how economic and social impacts are measured and communicated to policymakers”.
According to CMC: “Discussions were highly engaged and constructive. Advisors offered valuable insights on framing co-operatives as fiscally efficient, resilient, and community-rooted economic actors—well positioned to address key policy priorities such as affordability, SME succession, regional development, and economic stability.”
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The apex says these discussions will inform its 2026 Economic Impact Study as well as a new report, Power the Economy, which is slated for release later this year.
Members of the council are set to meet again this spring to review draft findings from the Economic Impact Study, as well as discuss research and advocacy throughout the rest of 2026.
The council features 12 members from organisations and institutions including CMC, Servus Credit Union, NYU, Addenda Capital, Vancity, Central 1 and the Canadian Centre for the Study of Co-operatives.
They include Michael Toye, CEO of CMC, and Prof Sonja Novkovic, academic director of the International Centre for Co-operative Management at Saint Mary’s University in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
