Co-operatives and Mutuals Canada (CMC) has officially submitted its formal response to the Ministry of Industry’s public consultation on the Canada Co-operatives Act (CCA).
While the federal “Red Tape Review” was initially designed for minor, technical updates, CMC says it used this “critical window” to address the immediate proposals while pushing for substantive, long-term improvements to help the sector scale.
The apex says it actively participated within the consultation’s immediate technical parameters of modernising governance, adding: “While we acknowledge that digital meetings are embedded in the way work is done, we opposed making virtual or hybrid meetings the default, arguing that a rigid rule creates barriers for rural, remote, and less tech-literate memberships.
“Instead, we insisted that governance format decisions must remain in the hands of members via their bylaws.”
CMC says it also took the opportunity to put a series of more strategic long-term structural changes on the official record.
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These include dropping the “two-provinces” rule that can act as a barrier for early-stage startups, introducing a two-thirds majority “review engagement” option to reduce audit costs for small co-ops, and formally defining non-profit co-operatives to unlock federal funding and social procurement spaces.
“We were highly encouraged by our meeting with the officials leading the review,” the apex added. “CMC looks forward to continuing this productive dialogue with Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) to ensure the federal framework truly supports the growth and competitiveness of the co-operative sector.
“We want to thank all CMC members who took the time to provide their valuable feedback throughout this process. While the official consultation period is now closed, we encourage you to continue sharing your thoughts and on-the-ground experiences regarding areas of improvement for the act as we look toward future advocacy cycles.”
Read the full written submission here.
