Public policy and the social and solidarity economy dialogue

VOLUME 12

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NUMBER 2

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OCTOBER 2011

Public policy and the social and solidarity economy dialogue Objective: Social transformation

Développement social

Inspiring planet: Mali, Spain, Brazil, Mexico, Nepal, etc.

Innovative Quebec: Finance, entrepreneurship, food, culture, labour, etc.

Indispensable voices: Four women at the heart of the social and solidarity economy in our Vox Pop

Content Subject:

Social and solidarity economy and public policy Issues and challenges 02 Working together. Co-construction

of public policies: Issues and Challenges by Simon St-Onge 05 The dialogue between public

powers and non-governmental

organizations in Quebec:

Shall we discuss it? A discussion

with Peter Hall, Laurent Lessard, Nancy Neamtan and Hélène Simard par Sophie Clerc

08 From the solitary economy to

solidarity economy Quebec’s natu‑

ral resource sector by Melina Schoenborn

18 Mali, Bolivia and Spain.

New opportunities internationally

for the social and solidarity economy

by Roch Harvey et coll.

food security and sovereignty

20 Solidarity around the planet

34 Putting some ‘’bite’’ into food

security and sovereignty

by Angèle-Anne Brouillette

In the field Innovation And collective entrepreneurship 22 A plant imported from Russia

creates jobs in Sainte-Rita

by Melina Schoenborn

23 A Garden of Eden in the Saguenay Lac-Saint-Jean region?

by Melina Schoenborn

24 Val-Éo: The power of the wind

by Melina Schoenborn

25 Nepal: A community forestry pioneer

by Audrey Cadillon

10 Local development and the cultural

social economy. Diversity of forms

and ambivalence regarding territory

by Damien Rousselière

26 The shea industry in Mali and Burkina Faso. Created jobs for women by Roch Harvey

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local development and Territory

Building the future without forget‑ ting the past. Food sovereignty through Quebec’s economie soli‑ darity initiatives by Jean-Frédéric Lemay

14 When work is synonymous with

solidarity. Summary of labour

challenges in the social economy

and community action employment sector by Comité sectoriel de la

main-d’œuvre and Sophie Clerc

16 Alternative financing. Innovation

and financing in Quebec’s social economy by André Fortin et Marie-Reine Roy

Our chronicals 01 A word from the Editorial Committee

by Angèle-Anne Brouillette

28 Vox Pop

Women. At the heart of the social and solidarity economy

33 Aboriginal people of Chiapas and

solidarity initiatives by Marie-Pierre Lainé

27 The Cabaret-Boutique des Bons Voisins. A helping hand for Pointe Claire village by Anne-Marie Angers 30 Welcome to paradise

by Angèle-Anne Brouillette

31 The arts as central to community

by Jennifer Cooke

32 A self-operating production structure by Julien Hista

48 On the municipal scene The social economy and municipal

authorities. For sustainable development in local communities

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What’s happening in the region

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Just released

by Yvon Poirier

by Guy Sabourin

37 COPAG: An inspirational cooperative

by Youssef Alaoui Solaimani 38 Senegal’s Cadre de concertation

des producteurs d’arachides.

Increasing producers’ revenue

by Roch Harvey

Solidarity fiNance 39 Reinventing finance The RISQ’s pre start-up fund

by Charles Guindon

40 From microcredit to microfinance.

Sharing the innovation challenge

by Linda Maziade

41 Community Economic Development. Investment Funds

in Nova Scotia by Chris Payne 42 Filaction and France Active.

Solidarity-based innovations

by Gilles Bourque

43 How do Quebec, Mexico and Europe

constitute a venture capital fund in the

social economy? by Marie-Reine Roy

Work and Employment 44 Working and retiring in dignity

is now possible by Lise Gervais 45 Unions and the social economy in

Quebec. Two movements, one mis‑ sion by Nathalie Guay, Isabelle Coulombe

et Normand Pépin

46 Youth employment in France.

Inevitable insecurity? by Alain Philippe 47

Vocational education and socioeconomie reintegration. A govern‑ ment and social and solidarity dialogue in Mali by Souleymane Sarr

A word from the Editorial Committee

Public policy and the social and solidarity economy dialogue Objective: Social transformation

By Angèle-Anne Brouillette, for the Editorial Committee

photo : Christian Blais

There could not be a more promising and appropriate location to illustrate the theme of this fall issue. The Cinéma Beaubien, once the Dauphin, was saved 10 years ago by passionate film buffs from Montreal’s Rosemont district. It is a viable social economy business providing diversified cinematic content. This is a success beyond hope, carried out by professionals, socioeconomic organizations, and committed volunteers like actor Catherine Trudeau, who is our own all-natural covergirl. “I was asked to serve on the Beaubien board of directors six years ago,” said Trudeau, who appears in front of the Beaubien’s celebrated marquise. “This is my social commitment. I believe in this cinema and in offering movies to the people of this district.”

The history of Cinéma Beaubien says a lot about the importance of the social and solidarity economy. Rooted in its homeland, nurtured by its populations, a creator of jobs, and a producer of wealth, it transforms sustainably the socioeconomic system. Non-profit organizations and cooperatives alike have enabled and continue to enable citizens to take charge in a dynamic occupation of the territory. This is a major step forward for democracy!

In June 2007, the Développement social* magazine offered an issue entirely dedicated to social and solidarity economy, presenting its various fields of intervention. Taking up where that issue left off, this version now seeks to shed light on the partnership aspect of the social and solidarity economy. Upon invitation of the Chantier de l’économie sociale, we’re offering you a special edition on the need for a dialogue on public policy and the social and solidarity economy. Complementing the International Forum on the Social and Solidarity Economy being held from October 17 to 20, this issue examines the themes from a distinct angle – solidarity trade and finance, food security and sovereignty, work and employment, local development and territory, and innovation and collective entrepreneurship.

Our articles present the major challenges and issues in these areas, as well as the related projects taking place in the field.

We invite you to learn about Quebec policy, collaborative efforts, and businesses; and for the first time in its history Développement social has devoted more than a third of its content to the novel and inspiring experiences found around the world. As a movement, the social and solidarity economy is indeed active on the four corners of the planet, responding to the needs of populations that have created the various manifestations in this sector. It was all the more relevant to look beyond the current major world crises, whether food, financial, climatic, or energy, which remind us of the urgency of making the social and solidarity economy more visible and appealing. After all, it constitutes a credible alternative to the economic model that is causing the crises or exacerbating their effects.

As you know, the mission of Développement social is to propose a dialogue among stakeholders to enable different approaches to find their place within the public space. Through these pages, we hope to be giving a voice to those who are developing and supporting the social and solidarity economy here and around the world, in order to express the various dimensions and tensions that cross this very rich field. It has been an exciting challenge for the small editorial team to provide this space and rise above the political and strategic aspects that necessarily cross the field. We hope we have risen to the challenge and that this issue will enhance current and future debates on this promising movement.

Enjoy your reading!

* See: http://www.revueds.ca/sommaire-volume-8-no-1-juin-2007.aspx DÉVELOPPEMENT SOCIAL VOL.12 – No 2 – october 2011

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illustration: atelier nac

Issues and challenges

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DÉVELOPPEMENT SOCIAL VOL.12 – No 2 – october 2011

Working together Co-construction of public policies: Issues and challenges

By Simon St-Onge, Guest Contributor

Co-production refers to the participation of civil society in the application of public policies once they are created by the government,whereas democratic co-construction involves the participation of civil society stakeholders in defining and developing public policies.

The next International Forum on the Social and Solidarity Economy will bring together participants around a key question regarding the future of the movement: how do we strengthen the dialogue between the state and civil society to develop public policies that promote the social and solidarity economy?

Today, social economy stakeholders all recognize that the solidarity movement’s development begins with a stronger partnership with government, and that this partnership is ultimately found in the co-construction of public policy. The challenge is clear: co-construction is an essential condition for the creation of policies that stimulate the social economy.

But what exactly is the co-construction of public policies? And what are the issues and challenges?

Co-construction of public policies: Definition and nuances Yves Vaillancourt, associate professor at UQAM’s school of social work and Researcher at the Laboratoire de recherche sur les pratiques et les politiques sociales (LAREPPS – research laboratory on social practice and policy), has studied relationships between the state and social economy for more than 20 years. He has taken an avid inter-

est in the concept of co-construction and has greatly contributed to its definition.

To define this concept, Yves Vaillancourt first establishes an important distinction between two notions that have long been considered synonymous: co-production and co-construction of public policies. “Co-production refers to the participation of civil society in the application of public policies once they are created by the government, whereas democratic co-construction involves the participation of civil society stakeholders in defining and developing public policies. It brings all actors together as policies are being created, to establish fundamental elements and overall direction.”

Co-production of social economy public policies is much more common than co-construction. Social economy stakeholders have traditionally assumed these organizational responsibilities but are confined to the role of service providers which hampers any real influence they could have over public policy.

A second important nuance is in the concept’s definition: coconstruction is not a lobbying avatar. “A civil society or work group that has significant means and special access to power can successfully influence the content of public policy, but this isn’t DÉVELOPPEMENT SOCIAL VOL.12 – No 2 – october 2011

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Issues and challenges

co-construction,” says Yves Vaillancourt. Democratic co-construction breaks the traditional paradigm that separates government from civil society and places lobbying as the ultimate means of communication and persuasion. Yves Vaillancourt explains that co-construction involves a real cooperative partnership between government and civil society – one that includes the social economy and labour market – with cooperation at each step of the process.

Co-construction: An arduous task for government?

Marguerite Mendell, professor at the School of Community and Public Affairs and Director of the Karl Polanyi Institute of Political Economy at Concordia University, believes that government has everything to gain by fully cooperating with the social economy sector: “By including social economy stakeholders in the decision-making process, the government obtains a privileged viewpoint of the realities on the ground. It gives them first-hand knowledge of the needs and issues: they’re ensured that the policies will have positive results. In a very practical way, it reduces the transaction cost.”

Co-construction, however, requires that the state share some of its powers and responsibilities with different groups of stakeholders.

This confronts government bureaucracy in terms of its structure and the way it operates: “Co-construction poses a number of challenges for the government and its administrative structure,” explains Marguerite Mendell. “It questions its method of working in a vacuum – vertically. Co-construction of public policies requires continued and dynamic dialogue and the ability to work horizontally by incorporating many sectors, regions and social movements into the process.”

Political culture and traditional administrative roles, however, are struggling. The inclusion of social economy players in the decisionmaking process often remains more symbolic than concrete. “One side continues to think in terms of concepts while the other in terms of execution,” says Marie-Joëlle Brassard, Research and Development Director for the Conseil québécois de la coopération et de la mutualité.

“Public authorities invite us to sit at the table, but how far do they want to include us in policy development? Sometimes we feel that we’re just being used as collateral. We no longer need roundtables, we need co-construction tables!”

According to Marie-Joëlle Brassard, the collaborative gaps can be traced back to the government’s long-standing mistrust of contributions from civil society. “We can put solutions on the table, not just problems,” she says. “We’ve passed the stage when we knocked on our Member of Parliament’s door with our grievances. The cooperative movement has adopted a solid strategic plan. It arrives at the table with well-documented files that clearly present issues and potential solutions that directly reflect current conditions on the ground – the movement possesses a collective intelligence that the government fails to draw on.”

Marguerite Mendell admits that governments, in dealing with the social economy, still too often think in terms of expenses and subsidies when “a financial commitment with the social economy is an investment. Daycares (CPEs) are the best example: this is an investment in the well-being of children and in employment.

Economic activities generated by CPEs have a structuring effect that the state cannot deny. It’s an investment with both fiscal and societal returns.”

Quebec, a co-construction site The cooperative movement is deeply rooted in Quebec’s history and evolution. A multitude of non-profit organizations, community associations, and mutual societies have played a vital role in Quebec’s well-being and development.

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DÉVELOPPEMENT SOCIAL VOL.12 – No 2 – october 2011

According to Yves Vaillancourt, co-construction as such is particularly present in certain social policy reforms that have emerged in Quebec over the last 20 years. Researchers and social economy stakeholders agree that the 1996 Economic and Employment Summit was a key moment for the solidarity movement’s recognition and evolution in Quebec. The Summit led to the creation of the Chantier de l’économie sociale that, 15 years later, is among the most important voices of socio-political dialogue in Quebec.

The 1996 Summit also presented clear evidence of the relevance of co-construction. Yves Vaillancourt points out that the public policies established during the Summit had an exceptional impact and resilience because they were a result of extraordinary cooperation between the state and civil society. Thus, the social economy programs, the CPEs, home care services and social housing persisted despite several changes in government since 1996.

Bill 112, an act to combat poverty and social exclusion, is another clear example of the strength and sustainability generated by a process of co-construction. Adopted in 2002 following a historic consensus that united political parties, social groups, individuals and community organizations, Bill 112 also stood up to a change in government only four months after it was adopted, and has been extended twice by governing powers.

The Government of Quebec’s commitment towards social economy can also been seen through its initiatives to better align itself with the realities of social economy. “The fact that the Ministry of Municipal Affairs, Regions, and Land Occupancy is now in charge of social economy is a good sign because the ministry has a crossdisciplinary mandate,” says Marguerite Mendell. “The 2008 Action Plan that involves several ministries is also a good example of multipartnership cooperation, vital to the success of social economy public policies.”

Yves Vaillancourt recognizes the government effort to support social economy, but remains clear. “We’ve had interesting achievements and have accomplished a great deal. A social economy contribution model to policy development has been implemented but should not be idealized. In this state-civil society dialogue, it would be a mistake to believe that every actor will be heard. And we have to remember that in the end, it’s always going to be the government that decides.”

Marguerite Mendell and Yves Vaillancourt both point out that the achievements, as remarkable as they are, remain fragile. The home care program, for example, though built on excellent co-construction foundations in 1996, did not manage to strengthen its position over the years.

Nevertheless, Marguerite Mendell remains optimistic as to the future of social economy and its cooperation with the government.

“We notice that the new generation is very inclined to do things differently, to work collectively, and to find other ways of creating wealth. It’s very encouraging! There are still legislative challenges and limitations when working with government, but the system is more permeable than we think. We are in the process of changing this institutional construction.”

In this desire to strengthen a partnership with the state, one last question remains: Is the solidarity movement in danger of losing a fundamental part of its identity – its managerial autonomy? “On the contrary,” says Marguerite Mendell. “Our presence at the table of power reinforces our legitimacy and, ultimately, our autonomy. We don’t want to erase our genetic code, our social commitment. We want our contribution to the economy and society recognized, and to be given the means to develop.”

The dialogue between public powers and non-governmental organizations in Quebec, shall we discuss it?

A discussion with Peter Hall, Laurent Lessard, Nancy Neamtan and Hélène Simard

By Sophie Clerc, Editorial Committee

When it launched its social economy action plan in 2008, the Quebec government opened the door for a new collaboration between the government and social economy players. Four “voices” which cannot be ignored in Quebec’s social economy lent themselves to a “question and answer” game about the co-construction of public policy in Quebec’s social economy. Nancy Neamtan, president and manager of the Chantier de l’économie sociale, Hélène Simard, president and general manager of the Conseil québécois de la cooperation et de la mutualité, Peter Hall, member of the advisory committee for the Canadian CED Network, and Laurent Lessard, Minister of Municipal Affairs, Regions, and Land Occupancy, share their thoughts on co-construction in Quebec, their definition of it, its different forms and practices, its issues, and the challenges it has yet to face.

First of all, can we really speak of the co-construction of public policy in Quebec’s social economy? Yes, “by examining the government’s intervention in this branch of the economy in recent years, we can talk about co-construction,” said Laurent Lessard. For Nancy Neamtan, although her response is affirmative, it is nuanced: “We can speak of co-construction, but there are limits since the final decision is made by the legislator, the elected government.” Another limit mentioned by Hélène Simard is the fact that the various social movements present in Quebec’s social economy must be taken into account throughout this process. As she says, “In spite of its importance, the cooperative movement is still wondering whether or not the various government departments really take into account the difference of the cooperative and mutualist movement.’’

Co-construction: Definition and characteristics The partnership approach is at the heart of this process: governmental and non-governmental players are present at the negotiating table.

They jointly define public policies and work together to implement them.

Peter Hall emphasizes the specifics of this approach. “We do not know the final outcome of this process, which involves established rules and governance systems. It is an inclusive process that is open to new voices.” This dialogue must be present at different levels, particularly at local and municipal levels. Furthermore, a fair distribution of power among the various players is essential for the success of the approach. Among the requirements for co-construction success, a constant dialogue process must be established

and, as Nancy Neamtan adds, “One of Quebec’s assets is precisely its ability to enter into dialogue.”

The participation of organizations involved in the co-construction of a policy must also be based on political representation and legitimacy. Representation is central according to Hélène Simard, since “the ‘citizen’ seems to be the reference when defining the needs of the population as a whole.” Yet, as she says, “On which basis can one represent the population, knowing that it can be represented by a union, a group of parents, or a sector of the economy, each having its own vision or orientation?” Hélène Simard concludes, “We must therefore ensure that the method of governance reflects this aspiration for legitimacy.”

“We can speak of co-construction, but there are limits since the final decision is made by the legislator, the elected government.”

(N.Neamtan) Jointly co-constructed “Applied to the social economy, the co-construction of a policy must refer to the anticipated values and results,” said the president and general manager of the Conseil québécois de la coopération et de la mutualité. “It must clarify the desired results, insist on autonomy and the reinforcement of collective entrepreneurial capacities, encourage social cohesion, and make qualitative gains possible in terms of social capital.”

“From a land occupancy and territory vitality perspective in which the social economy plays an important role, to be a governmental partner means being able to set forth, along with local and regional authorities and people in the field, common action plans that will fuel public policy.” Laurent Lessard notes that this approach was selected as the basis of the government’s action plan for collective entrepreneurship. “The social economy expresses how different groups DÉVELOPPEMENT SOCIAL VOL.12 – No 2 – october 2011

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Issues and challenges

Laurent Lessard

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DÉVELOPPEMENT SOCIAL VOL.12 – No 2 – october 2011

Peter Hall

photos: MAMROT, CQCM, Chantier de l’économie sociale and Peter Hall

Nancy Neamtam

Hélène Simard

Issues and challenges

take charge of their own development, and we consider that in order to establish public policies adapted to communities we must work proactively with the players concerned.”

From theory to practice In the field, how does this co-construction occur?

For Nancy Neamtan, the existence of the Chantier de l’économie sociale and the fact that it is financed by the government illustrates the Quebec model of co-construction in a social economy. The government acknowledged the expertise of the social and solidarity economy network and established ties in order to collaborate with them to identify interesting paths for public policy. Laurent Lessard recognizes the assets of this partnership: “We have worked with this group of networks since its foundation in 1999. This has made it possible to make great progress, such as the adoption of a government action plan and the implementation of the Fiducie du Chantier de l’économie sociale.” 1 There are many policies that illustrate this process. The network of subsidized daycares created in 1996 is one of them. Nancy Neamtan reiterates the context in which this policy appeared: “During Quebec’s Summit the Economy Employment, government was searching for new ways to create employment. Many women working in popular daycares spoke up, claiming that our developmental model needed to be adjusted.” Their innovative practices strongly influenced Quebec’s family policy. Other initiatives listed by Laurent Lessard also deserve mention. Among these, one can mention the various specific agreements concluded with a network of regional social and solidarity economic poles, and meant to support the development of the social economy.

The government also meets with other collective entrepreneurship representatives. Laurent Lessard stresses the importance of its relationship with the Conseil québécois de la coopération et de la mutualité (CQCM): “The CQCM helps us with several issues, such as the revitalization of territories experiencing difficulties and proximity services.”

According to Hélène Simard, true co-construction of public policy requires openness and mutual trust through which participating organizations know the solutions they are advocating will be considered.

appears to be more fragile. Peter Hall regrets, among other things, “the short-term vision, the project-focused action, and competitive government financing, which have undermined social economy coconstruction perspectives.”

As for the perspectives, Laurent Lessard acknowledges the fact that we must “strengthen the partnership between the government and non-governmental organizations to ensure communities can access the adapted tools needed to carry out their collective entrepreneurial projects (...) The social economy project in Quebec is progressing, and this progress is the result of a close collaboration between the government and non-governmental organizations. For the future, we must bank on this collaboration and pursue the path we have drawn together.”

Supporting co-construction also means developing public partnerships that reflect the wealth of the social and solidarity economy.

In fact, closely interlinked initiatives affect different ministries and sectors: economic, environmental, cultural, etc. According to Nancy Neamtan, this represents one of the most important challenges in terms of consolidating the dialogue between the government and non-governmental organizations. When faced with governments that function like silos, it is difficult to develop public partnerships that reflect the wealth and transversality of the social and solidarity economy. “Agreeing on common priorities and the existence of cohesion make room for a certain balance of power in negotiations.”

This is, for the Chantier’s president, another issue the social and solidarity economy must face in Quebec. Co-construction is not possible in the absence of cohesion.

According to Hélène Simard, true co-construction of public policy requires openness and mutual trust through which participating organizations know the solutions they are advocating will be considered. The cooperative movement is meant to be a source of social innovation, particularly through the development of answers that vitalize and maintain territories, diversify the economy, and increase collective entrepreneurs’ ability to see their projects through.

“An open dialogue must therefore be present so that we can work towards implementing favourable conditions... for a social economy, particularly knowledge and appreciation of the cooperative and mutual movement,” said the manager and president of the CQCM. “I look forward to the day when the cooperative model will be understood and considered as a source of solutions that respects the autonomy of organizations.”

Without a doubt, the dialogue between the government and various social movements of the social and solidarity economy contributes to making public policy more democratic and ensuring that the needs and solutions emanating from communities are considered.

However, this dialogue remains a process that must constantly be constructed and reconstructed in search of a balance between institutionalization and openness, between the independence of social players and public partnerships, between acquired social benefits and new social practices... This debate must therefore go on.

The dialogue between the government and nongovernmental organizations: What is the outlook?

What has yet to be done to develop and rethink the co-construction of public policy in Quebec’s social economy?

The distinctive feature of the Quebec model, as perceived by Peter Hall, is “the institutional legitimacy acquired by social economy players, which makes relatively stable resources accessible.” This status leads to an equitable balance of power and gives room at the negotiating table for all social economy players. The Quebec model distinguishes itself from other Canadian provinces where the dialogue

1. The main goal of the Fiducie du Chantier de l’économie sociale is to contribute to the expansion and development of collective enterprises by making financing accessible and by ensuring better capitalization of social economy businesses.

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Issues and challenges

From the solitary economy to solidarity economy Quebec’s natural resource sector

By Melina Schoenborn, Guest Contributor

On paper, the participation of local communities in the Government of Quebec’s current energy strategy is a priority. The same goes for sustainable development. But some say the windmills aren’t always turning in the right direction and that the forests are being cleared – for considerable sums of money.

To bridge the gap between the theory and practice, the Groupe de travail en milieu rural comme producteur d’énergie (Working group on rural communities as energy producers) and the Quebec federation of forestry cooperatives have entered into discussions with the government. Several years of ideas and planning have led to a series of recommendations to ensure a better place for social economies in the Quebec natural resource landscape.

In the field On one side of the playing field are the government and its desire to hear those who, together, are trying to realize the energy potential of their region. On the other are devitalized municipalities whose representatives have no lack of ideas but rather a lack of expertise and resources to carry out promising economic, human, and environmental initiatives.

“Some regions, where there are no post offices or even schools, have basically become stopping places on the road to natural resource extraction activities,” said Martin Gagnon, general manager of the Coopérative de Développement Régional Bas St-Laurent/CôteNord. He would like to change the fact that “many communities are not fully aware of their territory’s potential and are confronted with negotiation-savvy private developers.”

The working group on rural communities as energy producers, mandated by the ministère des Ministry of Municipal Affairs, Regions, and Land Occupancy, finds that a lack of political vision and will is discouraging the development of new energy projects, such as forestry biomass, wind power, and the use of thermal discharge.

Too many projects are caught on a merry-go-round of policy hurdles for small producers. But they may have a chance to move forward if the recommendations of key stakeholders are taken into account in new government strategies in 2013 and 2015.

“Forest seeking a representative, offers good social benefits” It’s hard times in the woods. “The sector is depressed currently,” said Jocelyn Lessard, general manager of the Fédération des coopératives forestières du Québec (FCFQ). “The markets have crashed and plant closures are adding to job losses. It’s no better for forestry cooperatives. There have been forestry cooperative development policies, but now we’re trying to get by in the market, and it’s difficult.”

In 2013, the forestry program reform will take effect – Bill 57 was adopted in March 2010. Its goal is to change the method of allocating wood to industry and especially to modify the division of responsibilities. In so doing, the ministère des Ressources naturelles et de la Faune (MRNF) will inherit several strategic functions, including the planning

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DÉVELOPPEMENT SOCIAL VOL.12 – No 2 – october 2011

of forestry operations.

The reform has potential but it’s raising a lot of concerns, according to Jocelyn Lessard. “Under Bill 57, industrial companies are losing the ability to plan operations, and that has its risks for those working in the forests. Planning is a central function for optimizing operations and controlling costs. We will probably lose our ability to react to market signals.”

According to the general manager, those who work in forestry are worried about the reform. The federation is therefore demanding more responsibilities for cooperatives from the government.

“We at least want to assume the responsibility of integrating planning in operations.”

The draft legislation also introduces the notion of local forests, but the concept has yet to be defined. “In this regard, there are community forestry projects that work very well. The Rivière aux Saumons solidarity cooperative is a good example (see article “Eden in the Saguenay-Lac-St-Jean”). It succeeded in establishing ties with all users within the territory. It’s imperative that we follow their example.”

The government had hoped to revise its public tendering policy to put everyone in competition, which would have undermined the wellbeing of cooperatives whose business model is based on a sustainable relationship with local forests. What happens if a cooperative loses a tender in an area it’s been working for 40 years? Fortunately, discussions are taking place to secure a significant portion of the contracts.

A young player is having an increasingly important role in the field of renewable energy: forest biomass, which consists of waste from cutting and harvesting. Branches, crowns, chips, and shavings become substitutes for fuel in heating and transportation. According to the federation’s general manager, we can’t miss the boat. “This sector will grow. It has great potential to create jobs and safeguard community energy supplies. Its effect on reducing greenhouse gases will be major. If the main industrial projects grab all the resources, we will have missed an opportunity.”

For now, economic support policies for the forest biomass industry in Quebec are timid and short-term. The working group on rural communities as energy producers is recommending that quantities of forest biomass from public lands be reserved for rural communities. “With biomass, the government must take concrete measures not to repeat the terrible mistakes made with wind power,” said Jocelyn Lessard.

Winds of change The short history of implementing wind power facilities in Quebec is in many ways a sad story: communities not consulted, unfair distribution of income, policies that exclude social economies, etc.

“For a number of years, colossal investments have been made in regions like the Lower St. Lawrence for the development of energy projects,” said Martin Gagnon, general manager of the Coopérative

photo: deepblue4you (istock)

Issues and challenges

de Développement Régional Bas St-Laurent/Côte-Nord. “In the case of wind power, Hydro-Quebec has been hiring private enterprise through call for tenders to carry out projects. It has become clear that this type of investment leaves no jobs, businesses, or development tools for the communities directly affected. Wind developments create a few jobs when they’re built, but are then controlled from Montreal, Toronto, Calgary, or New York.” Faced with this sad fact, citizens have organized themselves in cooperatives to take the sustainable development of their lands into their own hands.

In 2008, a dozen cooperatives proposed wind energy production initiatives to Hydro-Quebec through a call for tenders. After their bids were rejected, most turned toward other renewable energy production projects.

In the Saguenay-Lac St-Jean region, the solidarity cooperative Val-Éo obtained a contract from Hydro-Quebec in 2010, after much effort (see the article in this issue on Val-Éo). According to the Working group on rural communities as energy producers, the high level of risk involved in development project investments means that few rural communities are in a position to finance their initiatives themselves. The group recommends that the government implement a funding program for the development of community projects. It also strongly suggests a guidance service and a capitalization fund with the involvement of the various tax-supported funds, such as the Desjardins, FTQ, and Fondaction funds.

“We’re literally proposing an entire program to the government,” said energy specialist and member of the working group Patrick Déry.

“For example, we’re asking the MRNQ to modify its energy purchasing strategy in 2015 and to exclude the private sector and multinationals

from the clientele targeted by the guaranteed electricity purchasing program.” In Quebec, the wind energy market could become very large in the future if micro-producers are given access to specific rates and grants. The working group is also encouraging the creation of funds for the start-up of community renewable energy projects.

Jean-Louis Chaumel is a researcher at the Université du Québec à Rimouski’s wind energy research laboratory. He believes the solution lies in the political capacity of communities to stand up to large enterprise. “I’ve always worked to reinforce what I consider to be key in this debate: to arrive at a minimum of balance between the parties involved – the government, Hydro-Quebec, developers, and communities. The weakest partner is obviously communities, so there is no doubt that we have to improve negotiation strength with adequate training, technical support, facilitation, and information transfer.”

Echoing this position, the working group on rural communities as energy producers is suggesting that the government provide financial support for the implementation of regional expertise and guidance centres in energy efficiency. These recommendations were all given in a report to the Ministère des Affaires municipales, des Régions et de l’Occupation du territoire in 2011.

Will the government welcome this mini-revolution?

We will have to wait for the details of Quebec’s next energy strategy in 2015 and new forestry program in 2013 to see if the dialogue has any effect. Perhaps until then the good intentions announced in current public policies will translate into concrete actions. If not, “the law on sustainable development is nothing but esthetics,” said Martin Gagnon.

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Issues and challenges

Local development and the cultural social economy Diversity of forms and ambivalence regarding territory

By Damien Rousselière, Agrocampus Ouest, France

The development of themes around the “cultural social economy,” the “cultural third sector,” and the “cultural solidarity economy” currently highlights the place and role, though long-standing, of different forms of the social economy (associations, non-profit organizations, and cooperatives) in the arts and culture sector. These organizations are in themselves very diversified: from small performing arts companies, created by more or less collective arts projects, to full orchestras that became institutionalized over decades; from cultural organizations that disseminate emerging culture to semi-public houses of “legitimate culture”; from self-operated artist centres to independent community movie theatres (in France) or parallel (in Quebec).

In a portrait of Montreal’s social economy1, the Canadian Research Chair on the Social Economy has identified 618 establishments whose main economic activity is cultural, and of which close to 90% represent arts and culture (performing arts, heritage, museums and archives, etc.), the balance being communications activities (magazines, media outlets, and community radios). In addition to the 247 other social economy organizations with a cultural social mission (community organizations, festivals, cooperatives that disseminate

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cultural products), the broader cultural social economy represented 24% of the total social economy sector.

Fully integrated in the social economy, these organizations are also very distinct. They question strongly the very identity of the social economy.

Fully integrated in the social economy, these organizations are also very distinct. They question strongly the very identity of the social economy:2 the existence of very large organizations with delegated public service powers raises questions about the relationship of independence and the influence of public authorities; the strong personalization of artistic companies raises questions about their

photomontage: anne-laure jean

What is the cultural social economy?

Issues and challenges

collective and democratic dimensions. From mastering cultural work to promoting it, the diversity of social economy organizations can be seen as a continuum with a combination of numerous action schemes: the promotion of amateurs within a recreational framework; the affirmation of identity in a community environment; the professional mastery of a creative process through the construction of an artists’ collective; the enhancement of supporting and communication activities (facilitation, training); and the development of dissemination and marketing.

The pluralistic contribution of the cultural social economy to social development Beyond the traditional contribution of the social economy, be it through the development of an activity or through employment, several major elements can be emphasized and are unique to culture.

By creating certain amenities (features that can influence a decision on where to live) requested by the public on one hand and born of innovation on the other, the development of cultural activities enhances quality of life. Self-operated artist centres (established in Montreal and elsewhere in Quebec) or squatter artists (found in urban centres) strongly contribute to upgrading the communities they choose to live in. Outside of urban zones, festivals and heritage associations also participate in promoting local resources and rendering often neglected regions more attractive. In general, the Institut de la Statistique du Québec3 has demonstrated that cultural activities affect local development not only through job creation and direct spending, but also through indirect effects on employment and the inflow of cultural tourists. This study did not take into consideration the multiplier effects of volunteerism, an important component of many organizations.

As organizations “rooted in their community,” the cultural social economy also contributes to public capacity-building. The media and community radio stations promote public participation and foster a sense of belonging. Associations and cultural cooperatives are more what Robert Putnam4 refers to as organizations that “create bridges,” promoting social gatherings and trust between individuals, which contributes to social equity.

Public policies on funding the performing arts, also a form of recognition for artistic quality, where the “star system” or “Matthew effect”5 leads to major income inequalities within cultural industries.

How to (re) affirm the relationship of the cultural social economy with local development This fate is neither unique nor necessary. Examples of the cultural social economy’s contribution to development abound: the Théâtre du Soleil in France and the Parminou theatre in Quebec are both cooperatives that have successfully combined challenging artistic work and community intervention for more than 30 years; performing arts collectives, such as Dyade Art & Développement (see article), combine artistic creations and cultural mediation; innovative examples of multi-partner cooperatives such as the Coopérative de Solidarité Paradis (see article) in Quebec and arts workers’ cooperatives in France act as performance and production venues. In all cases, these innovations, and the continued relationship of the oldest regional organizations, require solid recognition from public authorities who often risk exacerbating inequalities.

As shown by the recent emergence of cultural enterprises joining forces to assert social economy dimensions (such as the Union Fédérale d’Intervention des Structures Culturelles in France), federations and collective funding agencies (such as the Caisse de la Culture or the Caisse d’Économie Solidaire in Quebec) also have a role to play in promoting and disseminating these innovations.

The rationale of recognition over territory The ambivalent relationship of these organizations to the regions can raise doubts over their potential contribution to local development. In some cases, strong centralizing forces are at work: public policies on funding the performing arts, also a form of recognition for artistic quality, where the “star system” or “Matthew effect”5 leads to major income inequalities within cultural industries. Theatre groups in France, created as part of a collective project to rehabilitate industrial wasteland, were able to relocate to prominent performance spaces that received greater public funds. This relocation can be viewed as an achievement for the organization and perceived as such by its members. In some extreme cases, the collective can even disappear when official recognition for its artistic work is credited to the artistic director, even though it remains a collective product. The birth and fate of the Cirque du Soleil have been analyzed as such.6 The exponential character of financial gains in cultural industries, namely in the field of music, can also contribute to the break-up of cooperatives that include recognized and emerging groups. In the case of arts presenters and mediation organizations, the marketing of cultural activities through the reproduction of clearly identified goods or services tends to be distinguished from simple dissemination (support linked to the cultural object) by a tendency for segmentation and specialization of activities.

1. See Bouchard, M.J., D. Rousselière, C. Ferraton, L. Koenig and V. Michaud (2008) Portrait statistique de la région de Montréal, Montreal, Conférence régionale des élus de Montréal et UQAM, Canadian Research Chair on Social Economy. Available at www.chaire.ecosoc.uqam.ca. For an analysis on the cultural social economy in particular, see Rousselière, D. and M.J. Bouchard M. (2009) “L’économie sociale dans les mutations de l’économie culturelle : le cas de Montréal” in D. Saint-Pierre D. and C. Audet (ed.) Tendances et défis des politiques culturelles dans les pays occidentaux, Québec, Presses de l’Université Laval, Collection Chaire Fernand Dumond: 165-183.

2. Bouchard, M.J., C. Ferraton, and V. Michaud (2006), Base de données sur les organisations d’économie sociale – Les critères de qualification des organisations, Montréal, UQAM, Canadian Research Chair on the Social Economy, R-2006-2.

Available at www.chaire.ecosoc.uqam.ca.

3. ISQ (2008) L’impact économique de la culture dans les régions de la Capitale-Nationale et de la Chaudière-Appalaches, study commissioned by the Conseil de la Culture des régions de Québec et de Chaudière-Appalaches. www.culture-quebec.qc.ca 4. R.D. Putnam (2000) Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community, New York, Simon and Schuster.

5. Refers to the significant concentration of fame and income in a small number of people (phenomenon named after a line in the biblical Gospel of Matthew (13,2)) see F. Benhamou (2002) L’économie du star system, Paris, Odile Jacob.

6. J. Beaunoyer (2004) Dans les coulisses du Cirque du Soleil, Montreal, Éditions Québec/Amérique.

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Issues and challenges

Building the future without forgetting the past Food sovereignty through Quebec’s economic solidarity initiatives

By Jean-Frédéric Lemay, Guest Contributor

From food security to food sovereignty: A portrait of international trends

Quebec context: From the productivity model to the Pronovost report

Recently, agriculture’s role in development has made its way back onto the agenda. The World Bank reintroduced the theme in its 2008 report, proposing a change in perspective on the issue. It cites the importance of the multi-functionality of agriculture and its role in reducing rural poverty: “More than 80 percent of the decline in rural poverty is attributable to better conditions in rural areas rather than to out-migration of the poor” (World Bank, 2007: 4). An important change has also taken place within civil society with the introduction of the concept of food sovereignty.

Quebec agriculture is currently in transition. The productivity model that stemmed from World War II is still significant, proposing that operations should position themselves on the market and produce a maximum quantity of standardized foods (Favreau, 2010). Despite the beneficial effects on the volume of foods produced and farmers’ revenues, this model is now in question due to its negative environmental effects and the decline of the regions. The evolution of the agricultural landscape has also been affected by a concentration of property (surface area has doubled in 80 years) and a reduction in the number of farmers (fewer than 30 000 farms since 2001) (Statistics Canada, 2006).

Today, we see a willingness to move towards a territorial and multi-functional direction for agriculture. The key moment came during public consultations in 2006, the Commission sur l’avenir de l’agriculture du Québec (Pronovost Commission), which produced a status report on the situation and made recommendations (2007).

It announced a paradigm shift towards more sustainable agriculture that is rooted in the regions. At the same time, civil society was mobilized around the notion of food sovereignty during a parallel conference called “D’abord nourrir notre monde” (Feed Our People First) and the publication of the Déclaration de Montréal in 2007.

Two elements are central to these proposals for greater sustainability in the agri-food system and a renewed occupation of the regions.

The willingness to make room for various agricultural “models,” including initiatives rooted in the social and solidarity economy, led by the smallest farms, future farmers, and other producers seeking higher value-added productions; The desire to create localized food systems, a ubiquitous ele‑ ment in international discussions about food sovereignty.

Food sovereignty gains support in the political autonomy of governments and manifests itself in respect for fundamental rights and agricultural policies that promote local communities.

In the past, people mainly spoke about food security, a concept that appeared in the 1970s and that gradually gained significance in the public discourse. Food security exists when “all people, at all times, have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs, as well as to culturally acceptable food preferences for an active and healthy life” (SWAC, 2007: 13).

However, this notion does not address where foods come from and is somewhat removed from political elements, two issues that are directly addressed by food sovereignty. The notion of food sovereignty was proposed by Via campesina during the 1996 World Food Summit (Food sovereignty: A future without hunger), and defined as follows in 2001: “The right of peoples, countries, and state unions to define their agricultural and food policy without the “dumping” of agricultural commodities into foreign countries. Food sovereignty includes the right of government to protect itself when imports threaten their agriculture” (UPADI, 2007: 12). The idea gains support in the political autonomy of governments and manifests itself in respect for fundamental rights and agricultural policies that promote local communities. Over time, the subject of sustainable agriculture was also introduced alongside a dialogue more firmly anchored in the role of farmers. Quebec also experienced this transition in the proposed discourse and agricultural models, but it is rooted in the province’s specific history.

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Land sovereignty: Reconciling integrity of the territory with access to the land for future farmers Protection of the territory to maintain the agricultural vocation of productive land and the sometimes competing goal of access to the land for smaller producers are real issues in a context of urban speculation and sprawl. Quebec innovated in this area in 1978 with the creation of the Loi sur la protection des terres agricoles (LPTAA) (agricultural land protection Act) that sought to plan and regulate land use and purchases and to develop an institution to achieve this, the Commission de protection du territoire agricole du Québec (CPTAQ).

One of the ideas behind this initiative was to prevent a parcelling of the land for speculation in areas with agricultural potential. However, problems gradually emerged in terms of accessing the land for future farmers. In a letter drafted with a colleague from Équiterre and sent to the media, we summarize the problem by underlining the difficulty in obtaining the smallest parcels of land due to the Act and the pro-

Issues and challenges

hibitive price of land, whose average value more than tripled between 1990 and 2008, increasing from $1620 to $5710 a hectare (La Presse, March 25, 2010).

This creates a barrier to entry for young people or farmers who want higher value-added productions that require smaller areas. At the same time, we observe an international trend whereby government and businesses are making extensive purchases of land in southern countries, suggesting that a land protection policy should not be completely eliminated. Access to the land for local producers is one of the main conditions in achieving food sovereignty, but the question is how to do so for the smallest producers or future farmers without jeopardizing land protection? Quebec innovated in land management in the 1970s and 1980s, and the time is right to adapt these innovations to changes in the agricultural field; i.e. relaxing certain aspects of the Act without putting agricultural lands in danger. Initiatives to collectively parcel the land have appeared under the current Act (case of St-Camille in Estrie region), possibilities that the Conseil de la coopération et de la mutualité du Québec is exploring through cooperative land trusts.1 Could the solidarity economy be an avenue to explore between the past model and radical law reform?

Territorially-rooted agriculture: Local food systems and collective marketing The Act respecting the Marketing of agricultural, food and fish products enables the producer to collectively negotiate a sales contract called joint plans2 with buyers. The idea behind this Act was to improve negotiating power through collective sales and to avoid isolating and fragmenting producers to the sole benefit of buyers. This producerfocused model seeks to improve the producer’s revenue through collective bargaining (joint plans) and regulating the quantities offered (supply management for some productions). However, this model also tends to be a barrier to entry for the smallest producers who want other marketing possibilities. Although this is a collective marketing model, its sometimes corporatist (related to mono-unionism) and top-down structure has promoted the emergence of new marketing initiatives in Quebec, especially for producers that are at odds with the current approach.

For some 15 years in Quebec, the smallest specialized producers have put forward the idea of reducing the number of middlemen and having high-quality products to obtain higher revenue, cut transportation costs, and favour a more sustainable approach rooted in the territories. These local agricultural initiatives have been growing quickly over the past several years in Quebec,3 as can be seen by the MAPAQ fund Diversification et commercialisation en circuit court for diversification and local food systems and the Mettez le Québec dans votre assiette (Put Quebec on Your Plate) program. There are also a network of 82 public markets, agricultural initiatives supported by various community organizations (Équiterre, La Mauve, etc.), virtual markets (Marchés de solidarité régionale or Écomarchés)4 and initiatives to identify Quebec products (Aliments du Québec, BioQuébec, and Foods Processed in Quebec). The interesting element is that they are strongly rooted in the solidarity economy and the development of diverse organizational models for similar initiatives. For example, community-supported agriculture is an initiative backed by an NGO (Équiterre) and cooperatives like La Mauve in the ChaudièreAppalaches region. Contrary to typical marketing initiatives that are based on traditional industrial reasoning, these innovations are rooted in the territory and local partners.

However, these local food systems must overcome certain challenges to position themselves at the centre of the new agricultural paradigm:

Ensure ongoing and sufficient availability within local food systems Increase investments in processing sectors Develop new models to target producers other than only small scale producers Strategic positioning within the sector as a possible and profit able avenue.

Towards food sovereignty: Continuations and breaks This article has presented a short summary of the issues associated with the announcement of significant changes in the agricultural model. This transition needs to build on past innovations to adapt them to this change and to a plurality of farm models; i.e., a critical approach without undoing past innovations.

Quebec’s agricultural future, which will be the topic of discussions in the green paper on bio-food policy published in 2011, will demonstrate whether Quebec is in a position to innovate by relying on its past achievements and adapting them to the current context and to the food sovereignty dialogue. At the Canadian level, the agricultural framework agreement (Growing Forward) will also be renewed in 2013, providing a window of opportunity for a consistent paradigm shift at all levels. This is what the People’s Food Policy Project (see article by Guy Sabourin) is currently addressing and in which several Quebec stakeholders are taking part. In short, innovations exist in Quebec, the political willingness has been expressed towards making change in this sector, and a window of opportunity is open in Canada: all the ingredients needed to redefine practices by enhancing the value of past innovations and beneficial collective dynamics. One possible avenue is to build upon solidarity economy initiatives that emerge as a complement to past state-controlled systems.

References - World Bank, 2008, World Development Report 2008. Agriculture for Development, Washington.

- Chinnakonda, D. and L. Telford. 2007. Local and Regional Food Economies in Canada: Status Report, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, March 31.

SWAC, 2007, Food Sovereignty in West Africa: From Principles to Reality, First Regional Forum on Food Sovereignty organised by ROPPA, November.

- Favreau, L. 2010. Interview with Chantale Doucet, PhD in Applied Social Science from UQO. L’agriculture au Québec : transformations et innovations, Carnet de Louis Favreau, Monday, March 22, 2010 [online] http://jupiter.uqo.ca/ries2001/carnet/ spip.php?article40 - Lemay, J-F. and N. Bachand. 2010. « L’accès aux terres agricoles au Québec: la men‑ ace vient aussi de l’intérieur », La Presse, March 25.

- UPADI, 2007, D’abord nourrir notre monde, Collection Terres humaines, numéro III - Statistics Canada, 2006. 2006 Census of Agriculture.

[Online] http://www.statcan.gc.ca/ca-ra2006/index-enga.htm - MAPAQ, 2009. Activité bio alimentaire au Québec en 2008 : Bilan et perspectives, Québec: Gouvernement du Québec.

1. See: www.coopquebec.coop/upload/cqcm/editor/asset/Seminaire%20Fiducie%20 fonciere%20agricole%20ARUC.pdf 2. There are currently 17 joint plans that make up 85% of Quebec agriculture (CAAAQ, 2008: 75).

3. In Canada, the significance of these initiatives is confirmed by a recent Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada report on local food economies (Chinnakonda and Telford, 2007).

4. Équiterre has a listing of these types of initiatives on its Web site (http://www. equiterre.org/solution/repertoire-manger-local-au-quebec).

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Issues and challenges

When work is synonymous with solidarity Summary of labour challenges in the social economy and community action employment sector1 By the Comité sectoriel de main-d’œuvre de l’économie sociale et de l’action communautaire (CSMO-ÉSAC)

in collaboration with Sophie Clerc, Editorial Committee

The CSMO-ÉSAC’s mandate is to promote their trades and professions and highlight their employment sector and the values they work with each day. This promotional work is the result of two observations: a lack of knowledge about the employment sector and the same lack of skilled workers as elsewhere in the economy. As employers, organizations must be innovative in increasing their visibility among job seekers.

What specific employment challenges are faced by Quebec organizations?

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Overview of the sector and its labour force With 27 activity sectors, the social economy and community action employment sector has about 14 000 social economy businesses and/ or cooperatives and organizations that are members of more than 200 provincial and regional associations and federations. More than 125 000 workers make up this diversified employment sector, which includes close to 200 trades and professions. Who are they? The study Les Repères en économie sociale et en action communautaire3 found that the work force is primarily female and largely educated: 59% of women who hold a full-time position have a post-secondary or college diploma or university degree compared to 36% of the men. The study points to a serious lack of skilled workers, an issue identified by the organizations since 2009 – 60% of general managers and coordinators were said to be preoccupied with the question of succession planning and predicted the largest wave of departures in 2012. How do organizations face this problem? As a backdrop, the question of working

photo: Gary Radler (istock)

“I chose to work in a cooperative because the participatory and democratic process corresponds with my values and philosophy of life.”2 Sylvie, a librarian in a school cooperative, was drawn to the social economy early in life and could not do without its working environment, which offers a “humanistic dimension.” She is among some 125 000 workers in Quebec who are at the heart of the community action and social economy sector.

Issues and challenges

conditions, including salaries, remains a central theme and must be tackled head on, not only for employers but also collectively.

Next generation of skilled workers: a major challenge In Quebec, the labour market is experiencing major social and demographic transformations. Among these are retiring baby-boomers, the integration of the “Y” generation and experienced workers into the labour market, and the arrival of a large, culturally diverse labour force.

Since 2005, the CSMO-ÉSAC has been addressing the question of succession planning. Since 2009, it has actively participated in the Osez l’économie sociale project to promote succession planning in the social economy sector, in cooperation with the Forum jeunesse de l’île de Montréal and the Conférence régionale des élus de Montréal.

This project works to raise awareness among youth (future workers) of the social economy sector and its career possibilities and to promote their integration within organizations. To do this, the CSMOÉSAC has produced tools (namely resource guide books) for organizations to help them develop or strengthen strategies to attract and retain skilled workers, be they young, immigrant, experienced, or a combination thereof.

The question of working conditions, including salaries, remains a central theme and must be tackled head on, not only for employers but also collectively.

To date, this work appears to be yielding results: one need only look at the honorary award winners presented by the CSMO-ÉSAC in spring 2011 highlighting innovative initiatives in succession planning and attracting and retaining workers.4 The Corporation de développement communautaire (CDC) des Chenaux5 jumped on the human resources marketing wagon in 2007 with an information and awareness-raising campaign that allowed area municipalities to discover the wealth of the community sector and the skills of its workers. This major appeal will be repeated in 2012.

businesses to help develop their workers’ skills. Based on a companion/apprentice relationship, the PAMT organizes itself according to the workplace. The objective: to master the skills sought by the labour market. Once complete, workers will receive a professional certificate from the Ministère de l’Emploi et de la Solidarité sociale (MESS). Many workers have already received their professional certificate. With the PAMT, this trade is now registered in the Registre des compétences du Québec and as an activity sector – that of home-care worker – and is now valued!

For sustainable and quality jobs It’s important to attract and retain a skilled labour force, but working conditions must be beneficial and not deter strategies used by organizations to appeal to future workers. Organized in the fall of 2010, the seminar organized by the Groupe national sur l’amélioration des conditions de travail7 demonstrated the concerns of sector employers over working conditions and wages. The organizations that attended took turns describing the challenges, obstacles, and solutions for creating quality jobs in the social economy and community action sector. How can a sector that helps fight poverty keep its own workers well above the poverty line?

When not able to pay more in wages due to a lack of funds, organizations can sometimes offer their employees alternatives, such as the addition of social leaves, continuing education, or working-time arrangements. Family-work balance is a significant advantage in this employment sector8. As for obstacles, an organization’s management culture and funding must be considered. To meet these challenges, collective action is required: alliances with national groups and with unions can help generate leverage with funding partners.

Lastly, the work accomplished by all of the organizations deserves recognition, as well as the visibility of this employment sector as an “added value” across the province.

Hopefully, the International Forum on the Social and Solidarity Economy, to be held in fall 2011, will increase awareness of this sector and its workers – in Quebec and around the world.

Developing and promoting skills Taking into consideration the competitiveness of employment sectors in attracting workers, employee training not only affects performance but also work satisfaction and is a relevant development and retention strategy for organizations.

For managers, training needs are focused on democratic governance, human resources management, financial management, and communications. In response to these challenges, the CSMO-ÉSAC created, in cooperation with training organizations, tool kits for democratic governance and human resources management. A financial management tool kit is currently being developed. Managers now have at their fingertips tools to develop their skills and prepare themselves to charm, welcome, and integrate new employees. The new campaign Cultivez vos talents ! 6 offers organizations information about development tools.

For workers, the CSMO-ÉSAC has developed the Programme d’apprentissage en milieu de travail (PAMT) for the occupation of home-care worker, following a request from home-care support

1. This article refers to the social economy and community action employment sector, meaning non-profit organizations (NPO) or cooperatives.

2. See CSMO-ÉSAC, Profession Libraire, Profil d’une profession, online at http ://profession.csmoesac.qc.ca/image/2011-04-08-phpCE m5Xt.pdf 3. See CSMO-ÉSAC (2009), Les repères en économie sociale et en action communautaire, panorama du secteur et de sa main-d’oeuvre, online at: http://www.csmoesac.qc.ca/actualites/statique/actualites35.html.

4. The CSMO-ESAC newsletter l’InfoXpress (vol. 7, no 1, Summer 2011) features the2011 Award Winners ; see : http://www.csmoesac.qc.ca/uploads/documents/ menu_sections/infoxpress_printemps_ete_2011_8_juin.pdf 5. For more information on this major social marketing campaign, visit http ://www.csmoesac.qc.ca/outils/Culivez_talents.html 6. Online: www.csmoesac.qc.ca 7. Gabrielle-Tremblay, Diane (2011), Articulation emploi-famille : le secteur de l’économie sociale offre-t-il plus de mesures et pourquoi? ARUC-GATS , Note de recherche, no. 2011-4.

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Issues and challenges

Alternative financing Innovation and financing in Quebec’s social economy

By André Fortin and Marie-Reine Roy, Caisse d’économie solidaire Desjardins

It is society that makes the poor. When people are allowed to unleash their creativity, poverty will disappear. Muhammad Yunus An article published in the 2010 review Recherches sociographiques stated that financially “the Quebec model of development contrasts the most with a free-market type of economy” (in translation).1 The authors highlighted the diversity and nature of financing offered to businesses, particularly within the social economy. As Charles Guindon of the Chantier de l’économie sociale confirmed in an interview with Le Devoir newspaper,2 “in an era not so long ago, only the Caisse d’économie solidaire Desjardins would accept taking the risk with social economy businesses” (in translation). Where is solidarity financing at in Quebec now? Social economy financing is in fact a significant challenge for a society concerned with finding novel solutions to social problems. How has our society given itself such financing tools?

It wasn’t until 1970 that an organization within the movement was devoted specifically to financing the social economy.

This became the Caisse d’économie solidaire Desjardins.3 Democratizing access to financing: A brief history The goal of the first Desjardins credit union in 1900 was to make credit available to Quebec men and women. However, it wasn’t until 1970 that an organization within the movement was devoted specifically to financing the social economy. This became the Caisse d’économie solidaire Desjardins.3 New players came on the scene progressively, especially as of the 1980’s, in response to a crisis at three levels: monetary, employment, and questioning of the state’s role as provider. First, two major unions created funds to help turn the economy around. In 1983, the Quebec Federation of Labour set up the Fonds de solidarité des travailleurs FTQ. Then in 1995, the Confédération des Syndicats Nationaux (CSN) did the same with its Fondaction CSN. With the Economic and Employment Summit of 1996 came the organization of various funds and tools. The Réseau d’investissement social du Québec (RISQ), with public and private capital, was the first in 1997. Funds specifically dedicated to the social economy followed quickly the creation of Centres locaux de développement (CLD); these

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funds were decentralized and made available in all regions of the province. They go under the name Fonds de développement des entreprises d’économie sociale (FDEES). In 2000, the Réseau québécois de crédit communautaire was created.

In 2007, a new fund initiated by the Chantier de l’économie sociale was established, filling a desperate need for patient capital (see article by Charles Guindon).

Responsible finance What is responsible finance? Marguerite Mendell explains (in translation): “A profusion of concepts is used to describe the practices of this emerging finance: some speak of ‘ethical’ funds, others of ‘sustainable investment,’ and of ‘socially responsible investment.’ In English, the latter is the dominant term but there is a similar semantic diversity [to the French]. But behind these variations is the same basic founding principle: investors take ethical, social, and environmental considerations into account, beyond traditional financial objectives, when making investment decisions.”

In 2009, a book published by Éditions Vie Économique (EVE) profiled responsible finance in Quebec.4 It divides into eight categories responsible investment, which is one of the two categories of responsible finance: Table 1: Categories of responsible finance Solidarity finance, financial capital dedicated to collective organizations and companies.

Development capital: socioeconomic venture capital

Solidarity finance for non-profit organizations and cooperatives (excluding the housing sector)

Capital for local and regional development

Solidarity finance for social and community housing

Development capital for employment and worker participation

Solidarity finance for microfinancing

Development capital for the environment

Solidarity finance for other forms of social housing

Other forms of investment

These sources of capital are held by various stakeholders in several social movements, such as unions, cooperatives, associations, and certain public bodies. A multitude of funds exists, with exclusions related to activity sectors, types of assets financed, and geography.

Quebec therefore has local and sector-based assistance structures for organizations to make the right choice in financing their

Issues and challenges

CAP Finance was not a spontaneous response to the crisis.

Rather, it was the result of many years of innovation and cooperation in thinking about finance differently and developing better practices. projects.5 The different financial partners in the social economy also make concerted efforts to train workers in these local structures to make their various measures innovative in terms of financing, availability, and accessibility.

Quantitative importance Given a variety of other realities whose development is in progress, responsible investment is difficult to describe in quantitative terms. The group AVISE and the OECD recently qualified the sum of financial actors devoted to social entrepreneurship by noting that it consists of “numerous and powerful financing organizations. Social economy businesses benefit at once from public funds, cooperative funds, and community funds created by civil society organizations.”6 The most recent profile of this social innovation was produced in 20107 by the solidarity and responsible finance network, CAP Finance.

The profile concludes that cumulated assets are in the order of $18 billion for a level of investment of over $12 billion. The difference between the two numbers is the amounts held but not disbursed in companies.

While the stakeholders have matured and funds are available, the challenge remains for sharing, equipping, and recognizing within a plural economy. As such, the creation of CAP Finance is not only an essential step forward but also a manifest sign of our maturity as a distinctive and united social movement.

The recent financial crisis has indeed confirmed that the relentless pursuit of profit is largely illusory and contrary to the public interest. Paul Ouellet, president of CAP Finance and general manager of the Caisse d’économie solidaire Desjardins, said (in translation) “CAP Finance was not a spontaneous response to the crisis. Rather, it was the result of many years of innovation and cooperation in thinking about finance differently and developing better practices. Committed to changing the culture of abuse that led to the last major financial crisis, its members want to bring responsibility to the financial sector by pursuing societal objectives while at the same time generating reasonable and competitive returns for investors and savers.”

What therefore characterizes our model is not only the development of funds dedicated to the social economy but also the equally rapid emergence of local, regional, and provincial business support leaders.

The combination of the two enables this sector to develop alongside and complementary to the two public and private economies.

CAP Finance In 2006, ten years after the Economic and Employment Summit of 1996, various fund managers agreed that it would be worthwhile to work together in a structured approach, thereby creating the CAP Finance. Gilles Bourque, economist and publisher at Éditions Vie Économique, was on hand throughout the process. “In the years shortly after 2000, the idea was expressed at the Social Economy Community-University Research Alliance,” he said (in translation).

“The Alliance gathered players in the field and university researchers in partner-action areas [chantiers d’action partenariale – CAP].

Members of the CAP Finance8 and conference participants, organized during the Summit, supported a resolution to create a network to develop and promote solidarity finance and development capital.”

Researchers and players in the field for the first time combined their efforts to profile socially responsible finance in Quebec in all its aspects: financing and investment. Marguerite Mendell, professor at the School of Community and Public Affairs and director of the Karl Polanyi Institute, both of Concordia University, said “the initiative was original because generally the tendency is to focus only on one of the strengths of this financing, that of investment (in translation).”

To identify the specific practices that unite them, CAP Finance members wrote a charter of the solidarity and responsible investor.9 Network members want to create an environment for sharing and discussion on financing social economy businesses and companies that are committed to sustainable development. They also want to foster social responsibility among financial stakeholders to support an economy more respectful of people and the planet’s resources.

They plan to promote responsible finance as a source of expertise, transparency, and responsibility.

1. Benoît Rigaud, Louis Côté, Benoît Lévesque, Joseph Facal, and Luc Bernier (2010) “Les complémentarités institutionnelles du modèle québécois de développement”.

Recherches sociographiques, vol. 51, n° 1-2, p. 13-43.

2. “Financement – Il faut réinventer la façon de faire de la finance.” Le Devoir, March 26, 2011.

3. At the time of its foundation in 1971 on the initiative of the Confédération des syndicats nationaux du Québec (CSN) it was the Caisse des travailleuses et travailleurs (Quebec).

4. Gilles L. Bourque, Marguerite Mendell, Ralph Rouzier (2009) La finance responsable au Québec. Portrait, enjeux et défis d’une finance au service d’un développement durable et solidaire, EVE, Montreal, 124 p.

5. Centres locaux de développement (CLD), Sociétés d’aide aux collectivités (SADC), Corporation de développement économique communautaire (CEDEC) and Coopératives de développement régional (CDR).

6. AVISE (2006) Panorama de l’entrepreneuriat social dans les pays de l’OCDE, Paris, 20 p.

7. Bourque, Gilles, L, et al. (2010) Portrait 2010 de la finance responsable au Québec, Chaire d’éthique appliquée de l’Université de Sherbrooke, 8 pages.

8. The founding members of CAP Finance are organizations that were participating actively in the Social Economy Community-University Research Alliance: the Caisse d’économie solidaire Desjardins, the Fiducie du Chantier de l’Économie sociale, Filaction, Fondaction CSN, the Fonds de solidarité FTQ, the Réseau d’investissement social du Québec (RISQ), and the Réseau québécois du crédit communautaire (RQCC).

9. www.capfinance.ca DÉVELOPPEMENT SOCIAL VOL.12 – No 2 – october 2011

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Issues and challenges

Mali, Bolivia and Spain New opportunities internationally for the social and solidarity economy

By Roch Harvey, Centre for International Studies and Cooperation (CECI) with collaboration of Samuel Barco,

Confédération d’entreprises pour l’Économie sociale d’Andalousie, Spain, Rafael Chaves, Institut universitaire d’économie sociale et coopérative, Valencia University, and Sophie Clerc, Editorial Committee Just as countries around the world are pursuing their development within plural economies in which the state and private enterprise are the main actors, social and solidarity economy initiatives are generating employment and producing goods and services guided by the values of democracy and equality. The social economy diverges from the binary vision of an economy in which the state and private sector are the main actors. Increasingly, the social economy movement is becoming a political and economic player in numerous countries. This is the case in Mali, Bolivia, and Spain, which share in common the adoption of the concept of the social and solidarity economy in national policies.

In Mali, the major challenge remaining in development of the solidarity economy is the chronic weakness in financing methods.

2010, the Ministère asked civil society to work with it in preparing a national policy for the social and solidarity economy. This was a first for the African continent and a major step forward for Mali: the government and social actors are therefore leading a common review of the means and practices required to stimulate this dimension of the plural economy. Close cooperation from the DNPSES and RENAPESS and constant support from the Centre for International Studies and Cooperation (CECI) have helped establish a political dialogue and prepare the national policy.

More specifically, the national policy on the social and solidarity economy seeks to improve the institutional, legislative, and regulatory frameworks, to foster social entrepreneurship, to increase coordination and follow-up and evaluation mechanisms for social enterprises, and to promote access to goods and services produced by the social economy.

Mali has a long history of informal solidarity practices to which have been added more contemporary forms of social and economic solidarity initiatives, particularly to fight poverty. Such initiatives represent the daily activities of part of the Mali population.

Among the solidarity economy actors in Mali are cooperatives, social mutual companies, solidarity financial institutions, associations, and emerging forms of social enterprises. The Mali government also plays a role, as it assumes its responsibility of implementing the conditions that enable the development of this economy.

As the social and solidarity economy demonstrates its capacity to foster the creation of collective companies, government analyses point to the necessity for local development and the creation of small businesses, particularly to ensure food security. The major challenge remaining in development of the solidarity economy is the chronic weakness in financing methods. As such, additional resources and an innovative legislative framework are required.

The Mali government has taken several initiatives to foster development of the social and solidarity economy, especially by strengthening its institutional framework. Among the initiatives are creation of the Direction Nationale de la Protection Sociale et de l’Économie Solidaire (DNPSES) within the ministère du Développement Social de la Solidarité et des Personnes Âgées. For their part, members of civil society in 2003 created the Réseau national d’appui à la promotion de l’Économie Sociale et Solidaire (RENAPESS).

To complete these developments, one formative action was required to further encourage the social and solidarity economy. In

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photo: marie-françoise jean

A long tradition of solidarity in Mali

Issues and challenges

These advances are based on the government’s conviction that development of the social and solidarity economy contributes significantly to the socio-economic development of Mali.

Stimulating the social and solidarity economy in Bolivia In Bolivia, the social and solidarity economy has deep roots since it was practised by ancestral peoples, based on reciprocity, community work, and respect for nature. Traditional cultural practices persist today, particularly among indigenous populations.

In recent decades, the social and solidarity economy emerged as an alternative to the neo-liberal policies of the 1980s. The latter helped re-establish a degree of economic stability but did not resolve problems of poverty and social inequality.

In the 1990s, some public policy, such as the Ley de Participación Popular, assigned new responsibilities to municipal governments and encouraged greater participation by society in public management.

Nevertheless, the government’s preferred approach remained essentially one of economic liberalization and the privatization of crown corporations.

In December 2005, with public discontent and the fall of Gonzalo Sanchez’s regime, the rise to power of the Movimiento al Socialismo (MAS) confirmed the country’s change of political direction. The MAS’s principles are based on an ideology called “communitarianism,” which signifies the primacy of community over individuals. A new political project is being implemented, called the “democratic and cultural revolution,” seeking to transform Bolivia into a “worthy, sovereign, productive and democratic” country for all.

State policies are now subject to two legislative dispositions: the Constitución Política del Estado (CPE) and the Loi-cadre sur les autonomies, which establishes a framework for measures related to the social and solidarity economy.

In the preamble to the constitution (CPE), the plural composition of the country is recognized. The state favours community economic organization. It also plans to have a more active role in the development of the solidarity economy by supporting farming organizations and associations of small producers and craftspeople.

The constitution also contains the national development plan Pour bien vivre, which proposes a social community state that respects cultural identity and diversity and fosters harmony with nature, to satisfy the human needs of all, beyond material and economic aspects.

In addition to the legislative framework, creation of the Stratégie multinationale de l’économie solidaire et du commerce équitable in December 2010 gives the social economy full rights within current policy and the economy. Jointly prepared by civil society, including the Movimiento de economía social y comercio justo en Bolivia, the strategy contains several intervention plans for such aspects as fair trade, appropriate technology, institutional and policy implications, certification systems, and solidarity financial systems.

However, the private and public resources invested in the strategy remain inadequate to reach the goals adopted. The trend is still to give priority to investments in the dominant short-term profit economy. A change of practice is required.

Consensus on the social economy in Spain While Spain is in a major social and economic crisis, its 2010 law on the social economy paves the way for a new model of development.

It is solely based on the concept of the social economy, enabling leaders of the social economy movement to be fully recognized social spokespersons in the development of public policy.

The framework legislation and its nine articles target three main goals: A) to define the social economy and establish a common legal framework for all entities that are part of it; B) to recognize the political role of social economy players, including the Confédération espagnole des entreprises d’économie sociale, a major social stakeholder; and C) to implement support policies for the social economy sector.

Such legislative measures put an end to the institutional invisibility that held back development of the sector.

The adoption of this law is part of a continuity of measures taken, at the regional, national, and European level, that already support the social and solidarity economy.

At the continental level, the 2009 resolution by the European parliament on the social economy (DOUE, 25.3.2010) is a key text in institutionalizing the dialogue between the government and social stakeholders. The resolution is the result of 20 years of European policy and takes the view that member states such as Spain should “recognise the social economy and its stakeholders – cooperatives, mutual societies, associations and foundations – in their legislation and policies [...].”

Autonomous communities that have important responsibilities at the regional level also implemented support policies for the social economy in the last 10 years. Policies that formalize the partnership between the sector and public administration, and sometimes unions, have been developed in several regions, such as Andalusia, Murcia, and the Balearic Islands.

Finally, at the national level, the political strategy followed by the social economy movement, through its confederation, the CEPES, is simple: to obtain the explicit recognition of political parties in parliament for the social usefulness of the social economy and its family members and for the need to adopt a specific law to regulate, define, outline, and recognize the sector as a major player on the country’s general political stage.

This Spanish model of co-constructing public policy has its challenges. The first is financial, the second is political.

This Spanish model of co-constructing public policy has its challenges. The first is financial, since support for the sector is insufficient to meet the expectations set out in the law. The second is political, since Spain is a country in which political action occurs at two levels. This suggests coordination problems between the regional and national levels. Regional disparities also risk becoming accentuated, since some regions can more quickly seize the opportunity of an ambitious social economy policy.

What are the winning conditions for these inspiring models of policy co-construction for the social and solidarity economy? Political will, recognition of the social economy and its players’ contribution to the development of the country, and room for democratic dialogue appear to be some of the determining elements. More generally, this is a social transformation project, surpassing the logic of the market to embrace the institutional and political dimensions that must come to a consensus within society.

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Issues and challenges

Solidarity around the planet

By Angèle-Anne Brouillette, Editorial Committee

Since the mid-1980s, there have been Jeannes, Mohammeds, Yvons, Louisettes, and little Amélias meeting in their neighbourhoods to cook shepherd’s pies, tofu fricasees, and the like. Have they been aware that they are part of a vast movement – community kitchens – that are part of numerous innovations for which Quebec can be proud? We know that two sisters in Montreal’s HochelagaMaisonneuve1 district started the first community kitchen in Quebec in 1982, but they were not the inventors of this remarkable tool of social inclusion. Everywhere in the world, and particularly in Peru, community kitchens have fired up and spread in our communities – partly thanks to sharing between Quebec and the rest of the planet. Community kitchens are indeed a testament to sharing, and they illustrate the fact that we can draw on experiences from around the world. The more exchange between countries and continents, the more we foster social change.

In this context, Développement social chose to examine the international social and solidarity economy movement in particular through the Network for the Promotion of the Social and Solidarity Economy (RIPESS)2 . Informative meetings with people who have significant experience in this network – Sylvain Matte from the Centre for International Studies and Cooperation (CECI), Gérald Larose, president of the Caisse d’économie solidaire Desjardins, Nancy Neamtan of the Chantier d’économie sociale du Québec, who is also technical coordinator of RIPESS since 2010, Yvon Poirier, chair of the international committee of the Canadian Community Economic Development Network, and René Lachapelle, current president of the Groupe d’économie solidaire du Québec (GESQ) – helped us prepare this profile.

To ensure the social and solidarity economy becomes a credible alternative to the dominant economic system that generates social inequalities and is responsible for the world’s major crises (food, economic, and climate change).

Why an intercontinental promotional network?

The movement originated out of a desire to bring together the lifeblood of the social and solidarity economy around the world. Sylvain Matte recalls: “Fifteen years ago, we had to define ourselves as a sector to grow and be recognized. It was essential that we work together to influence public policy and become known to the various decisionmaking authorities. It’s clear that on the one hand we fulfill social roles that should be carried out with the state and on the other that

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we are economic players, operating in the market. Personally, I don’t believe the social economy can grow without being accompanied, even subsidized, for the service it renders to society. This does not mean the social economy is a sector that is borne only by grants. It’s an economy that contributes to a more equitable development of wealth and that brings considerable social savings to governments, but this is difficult to quantify.”

Despite numerous tensions within the sector, particularly over the definition of the social and solidarity economy, between structures representing the cooperative movement and those representing emerging experiences and practices and those related to the plurality of histories and models, there has been a common vision and will: to ensure the social and solidarity economy becomes a credible alternative to the dominant economic system that generates social inequalities and is responsible for the world’s major crises (food, economic, and climate change).

When Quebec and the rest of the world meet Quebec has played and continues to play an important role in the international social and solidarity economy movement, even by its financial aid alone. René Lachapelle recalls: “The dynamic of the RIPESS3 has evolved thanks to support from the Quebec union movement, social economy networks such as the Chantier de l’économie sociale and its members, the cooperative movement, the farmers’ movement, research communities, and international cooperation groups involved in the promotion of solidarity economic alternatives.

The innovative side of the social and solidarity economy model that is present here has been inspiring; cooperatives and mutual companies enjoy favourable policies and legislation, while implementation of the Chantier de l’économie sociale has fostered the recognition of emerging movements.” And this is inspiring others.

But Quebec wins as much if not more by investing in the international movement. “As the saying goes, we are not prophets in our own homeland,” said Nancy Neamtan. “We still think the social and solidarity economy is a marginal phenomenon. When we realize that it’s present everywhere, we take ourselves a little more seriously. In North-South relations, it’s often the North that thinks it will show the South what to do, but this is not the case in the social and solidarity economy. Community credit, micro-credit, and support incubators for the development of businesses in Brazilian favelas are all examples that inspire us. It will be a great day when management schools use and teach these examples!”

Drawing continental dotted lines for solidarity “The international social economy movement has a longer history than that of the RIPESS, and it is evolving through international networks that are still very active. The RIPESS is a network of networks, constituted relatively recently for an organization of its scale. It was created in 2002 through the Rencontre de Québec organized in 2001 by the GESQ. [...] A first event organized in Lima, Peru, in 1997 led to the adoption of a declaration that became a kind of charter for the concept that encompasses the solidarity economy. The Senegalese then agreed to organize a third meeting in Dakar in 2005. [...] Quebec was a significant contributor to preparation of the 2005 meeting, with support from the CECI’s Développement et Paix and from the

Issues and challenges

University of Quebec in Outaouais’s Chaire de recherche en développement des communautés,” said René Lachapelle.

During the December 2002 meeting, those attending wanted to be identified as a network, with the inherent flexibility but also the challenges; as intercontinental, meaning focused on reciprocity, respecting the dynamics of each continent and structured according to national and continental organizations; and as carrying out the promotion of an inclusive solidarity economy as an alternative method of development.

The RIPESS today A fourth meeting was held in 2009 in Luxembourg to create operational links between national information systems (Info Ripess, no.

18, May 2011). A period of fluctuation but also of breathlessness followed. “RIPESS members want to focus on basic concerns... and we work with volunteers,” said Nancy Neamtan. “This has its benefits but also inconveniences in terms of moving forward on projects and dossiers. But activities are underway again and there is the possibility of continuous financial support from a partner.”

What are the positions of the various continents in terms of their membership in RIPESS? In Latin America, they depend on strong networks, with organizations having created RIPESS LAC (Latinoamérica y Caribe) more than five years ago. According to René Lachapelle: “This of course arose from the work of over a decade to create national networks, from the quality of political analysis by Latin American stakeholders, and from the presence of more left-wing governments that are favourable to an alternative economy.” In North America, with the creation of the US Solidarity Economy Network in 2007, organizations created RIPESS North America in March 2008.

Africa is organizing as well. In October 2010, during a forum in Morocco, delegations from 16 countries decided to create the Réseau africain de l’économie sociale et solidaire (RAESS), and the latest meeting was held in Tunisia in July 2011. The International Labour Organization held an important meeting in 2009 gathering many African countries under the theme “The African response to the global crisis: The social economy.” Following the Arabian spring, the social and solidarity economy was part of debates over the emerging society project. In Mali and Senegal, “the cooperative movement is in full growth with the state’s adoption of a new law on cooperatives,” said René Lachapelle.

Since 2007, a new network of stakeholders has been organized around the Asia Solidarity Economy Forum (ASEF). The RIPESS’s next intercontinental meeting will take place in the Philippines in 2013. Will it be the opportunity to unite various Asian countries within the network? To be continued...

What about Europe? According to Sylvain Matte: “It is not joining the process enough.” Would the diversity of networks there be making it difficult to determine who speaks on behalf of whom?

But “things are evolving,” said Nancy Neamtan. “RIPESS-Europe held its founding meeting in September in Barcelona.”

All continental networks are planning to attend the International Forum on the Social and Solidarity Economy next October.

entrepreneurs have reasserted their leadership over RIPESS, which was managed by people who should have shown simply their support.”

The political dynamics of each country and continent should also be noted. According to René Lachapelle: “It’s clear that in Canada, with the election of a government that doesn’t believe in local development, we are in the middle of a period of several years in which the situation will be difficult for the emergence of local initiatives. In Quebec as well, since 2003 we have had a government that considerably weakened local support resources for the social economy. Fortunately, the social movements and a certain number of accomplishments from the late 1990s still give us room to manoeuvre, but the public representative is not cooperating.”

The tensions between cooperative movement representation structures and those of the Chantier de l’économie sociale also limit Quebec’s place within the movement, said Sylvain Matte. “The question immediately arises: Who speaks for whom?”

Completing the dotted lines: What remains to be accomplished The social and solidarity economy should be taken to all the fronts, particularly as Yvon Poirier said “in other international bodies, such as the World Social Forum. Even in the anti-globalist current, it’s not always easy for the social and solidarity economy to make its place because many movements prefer political change over the grassroots construction of economic alternatives. Major international organizations, such as the International Co-operative Alliance and the International Trade Union Confederation are still investing little in this approach. But there is common work among countries and sectors.”

René Lachapelle said: “In Quebec, the large social economy families are very active internationally through the World March of Women, Via Campesina, and FIFA [...].” Nancy Neamtan similarly noted that Quebec’s expertise is recognized by the International Labour Organization, a United Nations body. “I was invited [as Chantier representative] to represent the movement at the Labour Organization to speak about the role of sustainable enterprises as we emerge from the economic crisis. And I was there next to a leader of the World Bank!” she said laughing. But is this enough?

Gérald Larose is critical of the international movement. “Yes, we’re networking, but we can’t say that we’ve developed collective intervention forces that enable us to grow. We’re representing and learning, but we’re not at the stage of structuring partnerships that will lead to changing aspects of the reality.” So what’s next? “I dream of being able to conduct knowledge, resource, and production operations that change our methods and lives.”

Everyone agrees that the social and solidarity economy should be better known and renowned. As Gérald Larose said: “I am still hungry for the social and solidarity economy proposal to be more visible, driven, and presented as an alternative to the model that produces crises.” In this period of crises, the social and solidarity economy’s opportunities are numerous. Its promotion and the building of a larger movement is a patient labour that is advancing – slowly, undoubtedly because this is from the bottom up. But more sustainably.

Building more bridges... Yes, but how?

But does RIPESS have the means to pursue its goals? In the North, activities have barely enough funding, while in the South the lack of means is all the more severe. Sylvain Matte notes that “RIPESS has not succeeded in mobilizing the financial means to carry out its work. It must be said that the network is carried on the shoulders of its stakeholders. What is remarkable, however, is that the network continues to survive and is based on a grassroots approach. As such, social

1. http://www.rccq.org/fr/rccq/notre-histoire.html 2. It is important to mention here other gatherings of the international movement: the International Co-operative Alliance, the Mont-Blanc meetings, the International Association of Investors in the Social Economy, etc., which each federate different networks.

3. The RIPESS board of directors is a place for discussion and coordination, consisting of two representatives per continent.

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In the field Innovation and collective entrepreneurship

A plant imported from Russia creates jobs in Sainte-Rita

By Melina Schoenborn, Guest Contributor

Sainte-Rita is an impoverished municipality about 40 kilometres from Trois-Pistoles. Its population is in decline, and its economy, based on forestry and agriculture, has suffered from the crisis affecting all of Quebec. But the 350 souls holding the fort have not surrendered.

The community’s farmers found an innovative way to increase their financial returns. They cultivate, harvest, and process fiddleheads, cattails, wild mushrooms, rose hips, and marsh samphire, to name a few.

Their products are sold to the general public.

The social enterprise allows users in the area to diversify their agricultural activities within a sustainable rural development approach.

The Coopérative Bio-produits de Sainte-Rita currently has more than 125 members, proof of the need for its services.

In 2005, municipal politicians formed a discussion group to spark economic development in Sainte-Rita. “At the end of the review pro-

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photos: BIOproduits

cess, all members of the group agreed that a cooperative model was required to reach as many people as possible,” said Francine Ouellet, general and project manager for the cooperative. Two years later, Bioproduits Sainte-Rita saw the light of day.

Since then, cultivation of the edible sweetberry honeysuckle – a new variety of fruit approved in Quebec in 2007 – has enabled the social economy business to distinguish itself. The berry, which grows in Russia and Scandinavia, is now available in the forests of the Basques MRC. “We received support from the Conseil pour le développement de l’agriculture for a four-year project to optimize this new crop,” said Ms. Ouellet. “All our partners, at the municipal, regional, and provincial levels, have been open and favourable to dialogue. Our political representative has been very supportive in our efforts to find funding.”

Ms. Ouellet believes that the cooperative model works best for business in small municipalities in the Lower Saint Lawrence region, because it fosters a sense of belonging within the population. “In addition to reaching all users in the area, we have an intergenerational dimension to our project. Seniors have a wealth of knowledge, which they pass on to youth through tailor-made student employment.”

For now, the coop is not self-sufficient financially, but it hopes to be by 2013. This will depend in part on Mother Nature. Until then, the organization is seeking additional income by selling a book of recipes, with considerable success. Cream of cattail, rose hip canapés, and samphire gratin are all featured.

“Groups from France, New Brunswick, and the neighbouring parish come and see us for advice,” said Ms. Ouellet. She believes it is entirely possible for rural communities to work together and grow.

Success requires a vision of the future and an ingenious way to use what’s in your back yard!

A Garden of Eden in the Saguenay-Lac- Saint-Jean region?

illustration: anne-laure jean

By Melina Schoenborn, Guest Contributor

The management plan for La Doré, an inhabited forest in the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean region, can make both nature and business lovers drool.

In 2009, the Coopérative de solidarité forestière de la Rivière aux Saumons offered the MRC du Domaine du Roy a new forest management method in which local groups are granted actual intervention and management powers.

By definition, an inhabited forest is one that fulfills the economic and recreation needs of a community while respecting the forest’s natural ecosystem.

Following an integrated resource management principle, the Doré pilot project involves the cohabitation of moose yards, heron colonies, black spruce, hikers, and forest workers on a single territory. A grand and propitious program!

The snag: the cooperative is still waiting on the consent and support of the Quebec government to set the project in motion.

Consensus has not yet been reached with the territories’ title holder.

“It is a very slow process,” explains Guy Martin, the general manager of the Coopérative de la Rivière aux Saumons. “The Ministère des Ressources naturelles et de la Faune has not responded directly to our request. Instead, it will develop a policy concerning forest occupancy between now and 2013, promising that our requests will be considered.”

The cooperative, which consists of 52 forest workers and 11 support members, boasts solid expertise. It prepared an ecological characterization of the Doré territory before deciding on the main points to consider for its forest management project.

Every little detail is important when it comes to improving a for-

est’s potential according to an ecosystem approach. Timing is everything, as they say. In this case, it means planting the correct tree species at the right moment and in the right location.

Every plant and animal has its own ecological comfort zone—to be respected.

According to the cooperative, taking into account the needs of all forest users can curtail forestry potential. To work around this problem, it suggests dividing the Doré territory into unexploitable, highly exploitable, and semi-exploitable parcels.

Ten percent of the territory is reserved for conservation zones.

Another 10% is intended for intensive forestry production. The remaining area is essentially composed of mixed zones in which economic interests pave the way for conservation and recreation.

The pilot project is innovative and takes a sustainable development approach. But to be sustainable, the project must first see the light of day. Are they keeping optimistic at Rivière aux Saumons? “We must be patient and vigilant; we must wait for the ministry to grant territory management delegations to local communities,” believes the general manager.

In the meantime, the cooperative pursues its reforestation, harvesting, and wood management activities for companies and private forestry producers. The social solidarity fund to which members contribute has made it possible to characterize the whippoorwill population, a threatened species.

“Support doesn’t come in large amounts, but it makes specific projects possible for the local community,” concludes the director. see: www.coopriviereauxsaumons.com DÉVELOPPEMENT SOCIAL VOL.12 – No 2 – october 2011

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In the field

Val-Éo: The power of the wind

By Melina Schoenborn, Guest Contributor

Coops aren’t formed for the pure pleasure of green energy; they are also and above all business projects.”

Brainstorming sessions were held with Labarre and Belle-Rivière UPA union representatives, supported by the Saguenay-Lac-SaintJean UPA, the Lac-Saint-Jean-Est MRC, and the local development centre. Five years later, 58 farms, 2 municipalities, and more than 100 local investors got together and formed the Val-Éo solidarity cooperative.

“Socially, there were winning conditions,” said Patrick Côté, Val-Éo general manager. “There was a culture of cooperation already established among farmers; there were credible and dynamic leaders; and there were financially viable farms. The owners knew how to run a business. Coops aren’t formed for the pure pleasure of green energy; they are also and above all business projects.”

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illustration: annick désormeaux

“How much is the wind worth here?” farmers and citizens of the municipality of St-Gédéon, in the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean region, have asked. In response to numerous appeals by private developers who want to build windmills on their land, they considered developing the region’s energy potential themselves.

That was in 2005. Their ideas took them to Denmark on a trade mission organized by the Coop fédérée. In Denmark, 80% of wind power facilities are held by cooperatives. Could this not be a model for Quebec?

But it’s been a long road. In 2007, the Société en Commandite Val-Éo was created to fund project development and the requisite technical studies. The same year, its members decided to participate in a 2000MW HydroQuebec call for tenders. “We raised $400 000 in capital even before knowing if we would get the contract,” said Patrick Côté. “Its purchasing programs are very limited, and the callfor-tender principle complicates things for solidarity-based businesses like ours.”

To meet the requirements of the crown corporation, Val-Éo needed a financial partner. An agreement for a 50-MG project was signed with Algonquin Power. Wind measurement – an essential step in carrying out a wind power project – is handled locally by Val-Éo. “This gave us latitude in the choice of a partner. The agreement gave our cooperative a minimum of 75% control over the project,” said its general manager.

However, the project was refused by Hydro-Quebec. But in 2010, Val-Éo was among 12 community and Aboriginal projects retained by the crown corporation in a second call for tenders. In 2015, the eight windmills raised on the plain will produce enough energy to serve nearly 2500 residences.

Val-Éo coop members chose an innovative system for sharing income, inspired by Fehmarn Island in Germany: 30% of annual royalties are shared among property owners with windmills on their land and their immediate neighbours (usually, 80% of royalties are paid only to owners with windmills on their property).

The rest is shared among other farm members of the coop, area residents, and citizens who invested in the project’s development. A new type of RRSP, you might say, the project may give some investors an extra padding for their retirement years.

In total, $450 000 in annual royalties will be distributed within the community. The two municipalities associated with the project – St-Gédéon and Hébertville Station – will also get their share of the pie.

For now, Val-Éo is moving ahead with impact studies. If all goes as planned, the wind will drive the mills on the agricultural plains of LacSaint-Jean Est in 2015.

In the field

Nepal: A community forestry pioneer

By Audrey Cadillon, Centre for International Studies and Cooperation (CECI)

photo: Julien Carlier

Nepal is one of the poorest countries on the planet, with over half of its population living on less than US$1.25 a day. And yet, this small country is known for its particularly progressive concept of community forestry, which gives local residents control of the land and resources surrounding their communities. This decentralization policy is regarded as one of the greatest developmental successes in Nepal, where 90% of the population lives in rural areas.

Each Nepalese forest is managed by its Community Forest User Group (CFUG). In 1995, these groups became federated through the Federation of Community Forest Users (FECOFUN), the largest citizen’s association in Nepal. FECOFUN represents over eight million people, protects their rights, and works on a daily basis to build a more just and equitable society. It is this Nepalese organization that the Centre for International Studies and Cooperation (CECI) decided to support through Uniterra, its international cooperation program managed jointly with World University Service of Canada (WUSC).

Thanks to the support of Uniterra volunteers and NGO partners, 14 000 hectares of forest in the Dolakha district have been certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), providing residents of these communities the opportunity to improve their living conditions. By guaranteeing that the forest is managed in a sustainable way (in an ecologically acceptable, socially beneficial, and economically viable manner), FSC certification facilitates the marketing and exportation of products derived from the forest. Communities in the Dolakha dis-

trict are benefiting from two new handmade paper processing plants and an essential oil distillation centre.

Ramesh Lama, Director of the distillation centre, explains: “Before the creation of our community-based business, it was everyone for themselves. That led to unhealthy competition and prevented the poorest community members from benefiting from this resource.”

Today, the poorest residents in these regions obtain very good prices for harvested raw material, thereby earning better incomes than in the past. Furthermore, the communities have opted to give 10% of the profits from the handmade paper processing plants back to their poorest members. The latter are also given a plot of land in the community forest to grow vegetables and grains for their own use or to feed cattle raised for milk production. Consequently, the income generated by the sustainable use of the forest’s resources contributes to greater food security, the livelihoods of community members are also improved, and the biodiversity of their environments are preserved.

Through its volunteers, the Uniterra program supports other local partners at each stage in the value chain of community forestry.

“Being active on all fronts helps to establish and strengthen sustainable markets from both an ecological and a social perspective,” sums up Sagun Bista, Manager of the Uniterra program in Nepal.

To learn more about the Uniterra program’s activities in Nepal and elsewhere in the world: www.uniterra.ca.

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In the field

The shea industry in Mali and Burkina Faso Creating jobs for women

By Roch Harvey, Centre for International Studies and Cooperation (CECI)

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photos: Roch Harvey

Shea butter production in West Africa has seen spectacular development in recent years. In Burkina Faso and Mali, shea has become one of the main export products. Traditionally made by peasant women, shea butter is more and more sought-after by the international cosmetic industry. Cooperatives created by women producers are successfully positioning themselves in this growing industry.

African women living in rural areas are essential to the shea value chain. Shea almonds from which shea butter is extracted come from a tree that grows naturally in agro-forest parks around African villages.

The harvest cannot be mechanized, and the picking of the fruit from which the almond is extracted is an activity reserved exclusively for peasant women. The basis of the entire shea industry therefore relies on their modest work.

In this context, collective entrepreneurship represents one of the winning strategies for the economic integration of women in the industry. Within cooperatives, producers have access to equipment, a structured work setting, and profit and risk sharing.

Cooperative work increases productivity, ensures quality control, and gives access to lucrative markets. A large number of people benefit from the financial resources invested, and the results are more sustainable. Furthermore, a portion of the surpluses generated is reinvested in community social services: literacy, health, and education for children.

In recent years, several shea producer cooperatives have been implemented in Mali and Burkina Faso. Created and managed by

women, these coops have made it possible to increase the economic spinoffs of the shea value chain for tens of thousands of basic producers, resulting in better living conditions for thousands of families. The quality of their product has greatly improved, and they have developed local and national markets, which are growing. African markets offer significant potential, and in northern countries shea is increasingly in demand, considered by some to be one of the best natural products for skin care.

Many traditionally operated social enterprises of women producers have now reached the break-even point. However, they face big challenges since they must compete more and more with private companies that benefit from large investments. Women coops must therefore increase their quality and productivity by investing in the mechanization of their production. They must also jointly develop markets by implementing effective marketing strategies. The Centre for International Studies and Cooperation accompanies several of these social enterprises in their professionalization process, in the research and development of production techniques with low environmental impact, and in the management of the resource. These economic initiatives can serve as a model for thousands of other women in the world who are preoccupied with generating revenue and the creation of quality jobs.

In the field Local development and territory

The Cabaret-Boutique des Bons voisins A helping hand for Pointe Claire Village

By Anne-Marie Angers, Coop des Bons voisins

Pointe Claire Village sets itself apart with its historical architecture, green spaces along Lake St. Louis, and its small independent businesses. This small village has considerably changed over the past few decades and residents have watched it slowly deteriorate, with most of the businesses disappearing. Long-time residents have condemned the departure of banks, the Caisse Populaire and just recently, the grocery store. While the village’s future appears bleak, the people behind the Cabaret-Boutique des Bons Voisins saw an opportunity to do businesses in a different way. Thus was born a small solidarity cooperative: Cabaret-Boutique des Bons Voisins.

Thanks to its collective management structure and social economy values, the Cabaret-Boutique des Bons Voisins aims to revitalize the picturesque Pointe Claire Village. The Cabaret-Boutique promotes local development by focusing on the community’s incredible potential and by offering meeting space to neighbourhood residents. To fulfill its community, cultural and environmental mission, the cooperative works at three levels: local organic grocery store and restaurant, art exhibit space, and meeting space for community groups.

The community component, at the heart of the cooperative’s mission, provides support and tools for groups of citizens who are working together to improve their living conditions. The CabaretBoutique des Bons Voisins also fosters the emergence of a new kind of development with other merchants and organizations in the Village, development based on partnership and the creation of a common voice in the neighbourhood.

Spotlight on regional artists The Cabaret-Boutique offers a performance venue where local and aspiring musicians can perform every weekend. Visual artists also have a large wall reserved for their works. Every month, the public has the chance to discover new paintings by an artist from the area.

The Cabaret-Boutique also subscribes to a broader local development perspective by organizing major activities with community organizations.

photos: Coop des Bons Voisins

Eating locally On an environmental level, the grocery store at Cabaret-Boutique des Bons Voisins offers people in the region a variety of local products (from within a 300-km radius of the coop). Every day, its employees and volunteers create light meals and tasty treats featuring choice ingredients. On weekends, the chef creates amazing local organic feasts enjoyed by everyone. The fundamental goals of the coop’s local organic purchasing policy are to reduce its environmental footprint, support the region’s farms and producers, and raise public awareness of issues surrounding the agri-food industry.

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Vox pop Women At the heart of the social and solidarity economy They are the many faces, both well-known and unknown, behind projects that are highly formative for communities and eminently pertinent for the people who live in them. As instigators of the ever popular subsidized daycares, collective kitchens, and various solidarity finance and fair trade projects, women are at the heart of the social and solidarity economy in Quebec and elsewhere on the planet.1 Here, four women from very different latitudes and horizons share their thoughts on women’s contribution to the social and solidarity economy.

Lise Gervais

Lise Gervais from Relais-Femmes Women’s contribution to the social and solidarity economy is essential if not fundamental.

They make the economy! They do not necessarily talk about it, study it, or lead it, but they make it.

This comes with certain difficulties, among which are working conditions. All incomes considered, women earn more or less 70% of the income earned by men. This does not differ in a social economy.

As women, this means less interesting employment conditions. To work in a social economy can be synonymous with vulnerability, less recognition, and less support. Women are not always given the help they deserve, which adds to their lack of job security.

Women innovate and create businesses and economic activities that serve social development. This is not necessarily natural to women, but I believe women are preoccupied by social development because they are the first to face the consequences when development is lacking. For this reason, I consider women to be at the heart of the social economy.

Michèle Audette Michèle Audette from Quebec Native Women The social economy has always played an important developmental role for Natives living in organized societies. Men and women had very well-defined roles in agriculture, commerce, and trade. Over the years, we have seen the position of Native women become limited. Much like western women, their role has been confined to that of stay-at-home moms where the man is the sole income provider.

However, we have maintained the social economy habit in which the band council, the voice of the community, develops businesses whose profits are given back to the nation.

Since Native women often live in resource regions, they tend to occupy untraditional jobs.

The crafts industry remains a stereotype surrounding the role of Native women in the social economy. Their connection to crafts is unshakable, even for leaders.

Much popular education and public awareness are required to tell our leaders and the Quebec government that women have an important role, and that we are not limited to traditional jobs.

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Linda Gagnon from SUCO Women make up most of the population in countries where wealth is divided among a minority, where health and education are reserved for an elite group of individuals, where access to “formal” jobs is limited, and where immense obstacles exist in regards to equality between men and women.

For thousands of women, the social and solidarity economy, in all its forms, represents a gateway into the traditional economic world.

Not to minimize the potential revenue source the social economy represents for women, solidarity, learning, and citizen participation are its main advantages.

Women are the main engine of this sector of the economy. They are very present and, in general, they represent the majority since men are less inclined to participate in activities predominantly led by women.

Women’s management capacities must be reinforced since women often feel “obligated” to ask for men’s help to manage their business, especially in countries where education is reserved almost exclusively for men.

Magdalena Leon T.

Linda Gagnon

Magdalena León T. from Red de mujeres transformando la economia (REMTE), Ecuador Throughout history, at all latitudes of the planet, we, as women, have been protagonists in activities and economic relations designed to fulfill vital needs and reproduce life cycles in a holistic sense. In doing so, we have cultivated solidarity, cooperation, and reciprocity. These experiences and principles, which have always been counter-current to the capitalist economic system based on self-interest, competition, and profit, are the basis of social and solidarity economy initiatives. Furthermore, they make it possible to transpose the approach to an entire economic system.

Women’s contributions are fundamental and vary tremendously, from ideas and knowledge to practical applications: the feminist economy as a critical theory for capitalism and patriarchy; knowledge of gardening, foods, and traditional medicines; multiple initiatives for the production and trade of goods and services that are essential to subsistence; and the care and preservation of natural resources. Care for human life is a particularly important dimension of what we now call “health economics.”

Women are at the heart of the complexities and inequalities that exist in the sexual division of work. As such, we ensure a steady flow, real and symbolic, that prioritizes life over capital.

These contributions have been invisible or undermined for too long, but are now becoming the key to this other economy we are searching for – an economy based on justice for all and in balance with nature.

Vox pop

Vo 1. Special thanks to Nancy Burrows of the Chantier québécois de l’économie sociale.

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In the field

Welcome to paradise

By Angèle-Anne Brouillette, Editorial Committee

The concentration of newcomers has brought with it a demand for diverse cultural and artistic productions, and fans of culture and art have increased the number of quality cultural events held.

“In paradise (upper balconies of theatres), the working class (the real audience), watched as plays, melodramas and pantomimes succeeded or failed, along the Boulevard du Crime.”1 The Coopérative de solidarité Paradis was created in 2005 by five cultural organizations in Rimouski and the Lower St. Lawrence region.

The name Paradis refers to the film by Marcel Carné and to the theatrical language of the Middle Ages, a reference to the upper balconies of a theatre which offered the cheapest seats. It seated people from every segment of the population. “It’s the most accessible hall in Rimouski – its presence not only promotes access to culture but also increases access for everyone. Here we’ve presented heavy metal concerts, musical improvisation, a Tibetan monk, film screenings, conferences, film shootings, foreign theatre, and even a whistler,” laughed Cybel Chagnon, rental and communications coordinator at Paradis.

The largest event generators are its member organizations, such as Caravansérail (visual arts), the Éditions du Berger Blanc, the Ligue d’improvisation de Rimouski (LIR), Paraloeil (regional and documentary film production broadcaster), Tour de Bras (improvisational and sound art broadcaster) and the Théâtre l’Exil.2 In 2010, there were 276 activities that attracted 13 142 people, a 16% increase over 2009. “We’ve exceeded the five-year cap so are no longer considered a start-up. In the world of SMBs, the chances of a company’s survival after five years are maximized. We can no longer meet the demand! Hence our relocation and expansion project in the downtown area; we truly want to be at the heart of the action.

The city of Rimouski has given its agreement in principle to a major investment in the next Paradis complex,” said Ms. Chagnon.

For the first time in years, Rimouski has seen in–migration this year: more people moved in than moved out. The city offers exceptional benefits: a university, the Institut maritime, a Cégep, amazing landscapes and a river as wide as the eye can see. The concentration of newcomers has brought with it a demand for diverse cultural and artistic productions, and fans of culture and art have increased the number of quality cultural events held. “We know that the exodus was caused, in part, by the lack of cultural activities in the regions – for many people, three or four blockbusters a month just isn’t enough,” added Ms. Chagnon. “Yes, there is culture in the region and yes, there are people who find the means to maintain and cultivate it outside of major cities.”

The need for an alternative cultural site was identified by the region’s cultural organizations during a public consultation held somewhere around 2005. As in many regional cities throughout Quebec, there were bars and large performance halls but no quality facility that could host a variety of artistic and cultural productions. “For the past 10 years, Rimouski has experienced a mini cultural boom,” explained Cybel Chagnon. “The impact of this boom is hard to evaluate because numerous cultural cafés opened throughout the region. The Paradis is one just element among many that is part of a larger movement.”

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1. Jacques Siclier referring to the film Children of Paradise by Marcel Carné and Jacques Prévert, Le Monde, January 4, 1974 2. Five new members were added to the original group (the ROSEQ, the Corporation des métiers d’art, the Festi-Jazz, Arte tracto and the Carrousel international du film de Rimouski).

photos: Sébastien Raboin

Culture – to reverse the negative impact of out-migration

In the field

The arts as central to community

By Jennifer Cooke, ICI Through the Arts

Commitment to the community

Established in Saint-Jérôme in 1998, ICI Through the Arts is an active and effective non-profit organization that is appreciated by its community. Convinced of the role arts play in personal development, community life, and local development, ICI Through the Arts has become a leader and even reference on the subject.

The approach

photos: Ici par les arts

The group encourages cultural interactivity by inviting the public to participate in creation and expression in all their forms. Several events and workshops are thus organized to bring the arts and population together. Cultural mediation represents the main type of activity initiated by ICI Through the Arts. For example, over the past four years, the ICI festival has been presented in July. Focused on engaged art, the festival welcomes artists who are given the chance to express themselves through various artistic media.

The organization also runs two other types of activities: art education and social art. Art education is for young people in schools.

Due to the vast territory of the Laurentians and the fact that young people are quite dispersed throughout the region, ICI Through the Arts meets them directly in schools instead of opening a point of service.

Through a variety of projects, such as ArtsSmarts, students can meet pedagogical goals using the arts. In addition to sharing knowhow, the program can integrate other elements related to interpersonal skills. Young people can, for example, create a video or short film about successive waves of immigration. In this example, they work as a team to complete historical research, create costumes, write a script, produce the video, design the decor, etc.

For the social art aspect, the organization welcomes a group of young people to initiate a social integration process, which favours their employability. A partnership with Service Canada makes the Skills Link program possible. The program’s goal is to break young people out of long-term isolation by bringing them closer to community resources and by developing a positive self-image. Through the arts, participants undertake a process of personal reflection on various issues such as social isolation, drug addiction, and mental health, in order to grasp the impact they have on young people’s daily lives. Throughout the program, participants learn or improve teamwork skills, assertiveness in a group setting, respect for deadlines, and problem solving.

ICI Through the Arts seeks to pique people’s curiosity, encourage a sense of belonging, develop individual talents, and act as a bridge to artists, to make culture appealing. Saint-Jérôme and its surrounding area are certainly benefiting from this artistic energy.

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In the field

A self-operating production structure

By Julien Hista, Association Dyade A&D

Local involvement

The artistic necessity outweighs commercial opportunity, with the idea that honest artwork can always find a passionate audience.

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Culture working for local development The Cultures solidaires network was initiated in 2004 by various partners (associations, cooperatives, and foundations) located in France, Catalonia and Morocco, to foster the integration of cultural activities in the local development process and strengthen collective initiatives. It is a partnership based on the common investment of complementary skills and funding. In addition to the development of the “Cultures Solidaires” collection of recordings on disc and several musical tours, a long-term action that combines cultural, tourism and economic development was also initiated in the village of Outat El Haj, located in the Middle Atlas region of Morocco.

Dyade A&D aspires to be a social economy and solidarity cultural structure that has an impact on the local development of both its host community, and also that of distant regions targeted as part of a partnership. photo: Khaled Baïtiche

The Dyade Arts & Développement association was created in 2000 in Grenoble, in the Rhône Alpes region of France, by artists and social and cultural activists who felt the need to create a common production tool. This dynamic quickly took on self-management and participatory characteristics. With one project after another, its members eventually created their position: to develop artistic professions on a self-management basis and create alliances with the dynamics of solidarity and development without denying market and institutional realities.

The artistic necessity outweighs commercial opportunity, with the idea that honest artwork can always find a passionate audience.

The association’s productions are based on artistic research and social relevance, which entail strategies of partnership, dissemination and adapted funding. Through their work, Dyade A&D advocates structuring a social economy cultural sector that expresses cultural professions and social needs.

In 2004, Dyade A&D launched its participative Web radio La Voix des Gens. With the urban environment developing at an increasing pace, and in a context where the idea of troubled neighbourhoods is becoming prevalent in French portrayals, this project seeks to improve dialogue between residents and the various stakeholders of urban life, both non-governmental organizations and public institutions.

In 2007, the local project Les Gens de Bastille was implemented in Fontaine, home to the association since 2004. This Web radio project recorded the voices of residents during the rehabilitation of their neighbourhood, and broadcast them on a dedicated Web site.

An intense consultation process with municipal services led to the legitimization of this dialogue and social action tool, and increased citizen participation in community life.

The association also created a strong partnership with La Source, a performance venue opened in Fontaine in January 2010. Dyade A&D positioned itself as a local stakeholder, leading to the development of a program adapted to the town’s diverse musical needs. In return, this partnership provides a guaranteed outlet for the association’s productions, in keeping with support for the region’s economic actors.

In the field

Aboriginal people of Chiapas and solidarity initiatives

By Marie-Pierre Lainé, Regroupement des centres d’amitié autochtones du Québec

cooperatives – which contribute today to the economic expansion and independence of Aboriginal communities from the state. The government’s commitment has enabled not only the creation of political institutions responsible for ensuring the success of social economy businesses but also has led these institutions to support community initiatives.

For example, this dialogue between citizens and political authorities has resulted in the creation of wells and a canal system to distribute drinking water to a community that previously had no access to this essential resource.

The delegation of young Aboriginal Quebecers is now aware that the social economy responds to identified needs and promotes democracy. These seven young people returned from the experience full of ideas. They now have a better understanding that the social and solidarity economy contributes to the development of a community by creating sustainable, meaningful employment, and offers aboriginal people a means of maintaining and continuing their culture and traditions.

In Chiapas, Aboriginal people show creativity, solidarity, and a determination to overcome poverty and social exclusion.

photos: Martin Gemme

As part of a project to increase awareness of community entrepreneurial culture among Aboriginal youth from cities in Quebec, seven young Aboriginals went to Chiapas, Mexico. During their stay they had the opportunity to see the positive impact of the development of the social economy on some Aboriginal communities in the city of San Cristobal de las Casas. The social economy helps combat social exclusion and also represents an alternative method of economic development towards individual financial autonomy. It provides an innovative response to social, cultural, economic, and spiritual needs. The following is based on their experience.

In Chiapas, Aboriginal people show creativity, solidarity, and a determination to overcome poverty and social exclusion. Volunteer commitment by both individuals and communities is at the heart of the Aboriginal social economy of this region of Mexico. In San Cristobal, the mobilization has resulted in the development of many social economy businesses, mostly agricultural and food DÉVELOPPEMENT SOCIAL VOL.12 – No 2 – october 2011

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In the field Food security and sovereignty

Putting some “bite” into food security and sovereignty

photo: maude chauvin

By Guy Sabourin, Guest Contributor

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In the field

These clever and visionary entrepreneurs have made their dream a reality by proving that year-round food production close to the consumer is possible.

Food sovereignty and security concern many individuals and organizations. What follows is an intimate look at three promising projects that have these issues as their very raison d’être. Evidently, the social and solidarity economy is using original approaches that are growing through the involvement and support of passionate individuals.

Local agriculture, in the city To feed city dwellers, vegetables come from afar, travel great distances, deteriorate, and are therefore lost in great quantities. Kurt Lynn and Mohamed Hage want to reverse this trend. They have already achieved a huge coup: growing vegetables in the heart of downtown Montreal to feed residents in the surrounding area.

Where? On the roof of a commercial building near the central market in Ahuntsic, in a 31 000-ft2 greenhouse! Two months after the first harvest in April 2011, 600 families within a 5-km radius of the greenhouse are each receiving a basket of vegetables freshly picked that morning.

These clever and visionary entrepreneurs have made their dream a reality by proving that year-round food production close to the consumer is possible. The bonus: freshness, quality, significantly reduced transportation costs, and a very minimal environmental impact.

“Our subscribers know exactly where their vegetables come from and can even come and see them growing,” explains Yourianne Plante, spokesperson for Lufa Farms. A single truck makes the 600 deliveries at various drop-off locations, once a week.

Roofs of buildings are huge unused sunny spaces that can be converted into greenhouses to grow food, according to Lufa Farms.

The company succeeded in having the Montreal zoning by-law changed and is already eyeing other potential roofs in Montreal, Toronto, and in New England.

“We’ve calculated that by using 1/10 of the roofs in Montreal capable of housing one of our greenhouses, we could feed the city’s entire population,” says Yourianne Plante. Large buildings (factories, warehouses, renovation centres) are what interest the group, with at least 150 000 ft2 to make them commercially viable. A greenhouse can be added to an existing roof, built on a renovated building, or included in the plans for a new building.

No genetically modified organisms, fungicides, herbicides, or pesticides are used in this hydroponic “clean” greenhouse that uses predatory insects and bacteria to control pests. The soil is replaced by a light substrate of coconut fibre that doesn’t generate weeds. Temperature, humidity, sunlight, nutrients, and other parameters are computer-controlled. A closed circuit uses every drop of rainwater to irrigate; this way there are no pollutants or need for city-pumped water. The vegetables were selected for their high nutritional value after being tested in McGill University greenhouses.

“We believe this is responsible agriculture, close to people, that

focuses on a direct and transparent relationship with citizens,” says Yourianne Plante.

For additional reading: https://lufa.com/

Fourchettes de l’espoir “I react strongly to food insecurity,” says Brunilda Reyes, cofounder of Fourchettes de l’espoir. This social economy business has been feeding people in Montreal North, specifically the northeast sector, for 10 years. “Our services exist because there are people who can’t eat properly,” explains Ms. Reyes, who experienced poverty in her home country.

Providing regular, low-cost food and operating collective kitchens is part of the daily mission of the Fourchettes de l’espoir organization. “If someone isn’t eating, they must be given food,” says Brunilda Reyes.

Although necessary, the work is incomplete in her eyes. “The most important thing is to support people so that they can develop or improve their skills and ensure their food security,” she explains. “We work very hard at educating.” For example, learning to choose less expensive, more nutritious, unfamiliar foods can be very beneficial when someone doesn’t have much money.

A child who goes to school without eating breakfast won’t make it through the day, just as an adult will have a hard time looking for a job on an empty stomach.

At Fourchettes de l’espoir, children learn to cook at the age of four.

“Put yourself in the shoes of a single mother whose fridge is empty and whose child refuses to touch the only thing available, homemade vegetable soup,” describes Brunilda Reyes. “This refusal makes the mother anxious because she has nothing else to offer. So, we show the child how to make the soup. Now, when he makes it with his mother he’ll eat it. The mother will feel more secure. The child feels valued, and this will help with adapting to school.”

A child who goes to school without eating breakfast won’t make it through the day, just as an adult will have a hard time looking for a job on an empty stomach. For Fourchettes de l’espoir, the issue must be taken as a whole. You must first have food in order to have a place to live and a job. “We provide food assistance, the basic energy required to function,” says Brunilda Reyes. “Then we go into the other issues in greater detail through education.”

Has the mission of this organization changed anything? “Definitely, but lots of work remains. Food insecurity may change faces but never disappears. Today, people working for minimum wage are increasingly calling upon our services.”

For additional reading: http://pages.videotron.com/faim/

Giving people a chance to have their say about food While each individual decides what food she will eat and where she will get them, food sovereignty is a collective issue. We rely heavDÉVELOPPEMENT SOCIAL VOL.12 – No 2 – october 2011

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In the field

ily on others to feed ourselves. Individuals should therefore also be able to have their say on a larger scale, i.e. when cities, provinces, and countries are making decisions that influence food sovereignty – decisions that affect water management, areas to cultivate, food transportation, and the funding of certain types of agricultural activities, to name a few.

But government actions may contradict what people want to do on a local level to ensure food sovereignty. For example, a municipality’s water management program or zoning may prevent the establishment of a community garden.

Based on the principle that food is a primary foundation for healthy lives, communities, economies, and eco-systems, a Canadian movement was set in motion over two and a half years ago to narrow the gap between food policy and citizens’ concerns – in other words, to prevent important decisions from being made without Canadians’ input.

More than 3500 people participated in over 250 Kitchen Table Talks organized across the country, which resulted in a discussion paper: Resetting the Table: A People’s Food Policy for Canada.

“We have two strategies,” explains Amanda Sheedy, national coordinator of this initiative, “educating people about the issues of agriculture, by creating alliances with groups that have the same priorities as we do, and interacting with various levels of govern-

ment when the opportunity arises.”

In Canada, close to 2.5 million people are food insecure. Staples are imported from far away while many farmers and fishers are going out of business. Our environment is being pushed to the limit. The People’s Food Policy seeks to gradually reverse this trend.

The People’s Food Policy has established certain priorities: for example, ensuring that food is eaten as close as possible to where it is produced, and that it contributes to the local economy; supporting food providers in both urban and rural settings in making a shift to ecological production; keeping farmers on their land; preventing and eliminating poverty so that everyone can eat healthy food; developing a child food strategy; ensuring that the public is actively involved in decisions that affect the food system.

Increasing hunger across Canada, the ongoing loss of farmers and farmland, obesity and food-related chronic disease, and the effects of climate change on the food system are all issues that a citizen-led food policy aims to address. “The status quo won’t solve anything,” concludes Amanda Sheedy.

For additional reading: http://peoplesfoodpolicy.ca/files/pfpp-resetting-2011-lowres_1.pdf

photo: Janice Richard (istock)

In Canada, close to 2.5 million people are food insecure. Staples are imported from far away while many farmers and fishers are going out of business.

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In the field

COPAG: An inspirational cooperative

By Youssef Alaoui Solaimani1 , Guest Contributor

The Green Morocco Plan was initiated in 2008 by the Ministry of Agriculture to stimulate the Moroccan agricultural sector. The success of the COPAG agricultural and agri-food cooperative is outlined in this plan and has been a source of inspiration.

The Ministry of Agriculture conducted an agricultural study that resulted in a development plan: the Green Morocco Plan (Plan Maroc Vert or PMV). The strategy was implemented at the local level through regional agricultural development plans that aim to complete, by 2020, several projects to strengthen the agricultural industry. The goal is to multiply by 2.5 the added value of the agricultural sector from MAD 38 to 100 billion2 over a 10-year period.

COPAG is cited in the PMV for its successful governance, worthy of being copied. It was created in 1987 by a group of 39 agricultural producers in the Taroudant 3 region seeking to control their activities, from production to marketing. The cooperative’s founders were primarily motivated by their ambition and ongoing desire to completely control management of their production and, at the same time, their future. Provisions were put in place over the years and, as a result, COPAG was organized around three main areas: plant and animal production and member services. Today, COPAG has more than 14 000 members most of whom are part of 70 cooperatives. It employs 3200 people and has revenues of MAD 2.3 billion4.

Support structures that belong to all members were put in place to improve production, manage quality and support producers.

Because of this, COPAG is considered to be the “mother cooperative”, with production businesses and units gravitating around it. The system described is also linked to national professional organizations of which COPAG is an active member. It has adopted a flexible structure that can welcome new agricultural industries:

COPAG exports5 most of its plant production (vegetables and citrus fruits). Part of this production is used to produce orange juice exclusively for the Moroccan market, a revenue-generating activity for the country. Its animal production (milk and red meat) is also for the Moroccan market. In this way, the cooperative participates in the food equilibrium by producing 183 million litres of milk6, representing 11% of the Moroccan milk production. This product and its by-products7 are clearly basic foodstuffs. The cooperative operates in a rural environment that does not attract other types of businesses. The impact of its activities – the creation of wealth, employment and projects – on its environment provides stability for rural populations. At the same time, it prepares the rural economy to confront globalization while providing a human face. These are strategic interests for Morocco.

The COPAG cooperative has established that it can transform the hunger crisis into an opportunity, by revitalizing the production and sale of agricultural products that are considered basic foodstuffs. It also confirms its participation in correcting the systematic imbalance responsible for the emergence of many problems faced by Morocco, and for this reason, the Ministry of Agriculture recognizes its strong potential as a model.

1. Cooperative management and organizational consultant and former General Manager of COPAG. 2. Moroccan dirham (CAD 1.00 = MAD 8.10).

3. Town in southwestern Morocco, located in the Sous valley.

4. 2010 data.

5. European Union, Saudi Arabia, Canada, United States, Russia, Scandinavia.

6. 2008–2009 agricultural campaign.

7. COPAG manufactures and sells some 85 references of dairy products and ultrafresh by-products.

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In the field

Senegal’s Cadre de concertation des producteurs d’arachide Increasing producers’ revenue

By Roch Harvey, Centre for International Studies and Cooperation (CECI)

power of Senegalese consumers. Among its diversification successes, we must mention peanut flour and peanut paste, which are already products familiar to consumers, but also the introduction of a new product, which, until then, was unheard of in Senegal: peanut butter.

Women’s groups Women’s group members of the CCPA play an increasingly important role in the processing of raw peanuts. Since agricultural production volumes are rising, oil producers are no longer able to absorb the entire production.

To develop alternatives, women have begun producing peanut oil soap. From the outset, they have proven to be dynamic, successfully obtaining financing for new oil extraction equipment. In spite of a difficult start-up, they now produce 600 litres of superior qual-

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ity refined oil per hour.

Through business associations, the CCPA develops the peanut food-processing industry to help economic players successfully realize their full potential. The ultimate goal of this food sovereignty approach is to ensure sustainable and equitable development that benefits the entire Senegalese population.

photos: Cassandre blier

For several decades, peanuts have been the primary commercial crop in Senegal, making them the main source of revenue for tens of thousands of peasant families. Following the privatization of this important Senegalese agricultural sector approximately 10 years ago, producers faced enormous difficulties marketing their raw peanut production. The desire to contribute to the improvement of the quality and value of their production led to the creation of the Cadre de concertation des producteurs d’arachide (CCPA) in 2001. Now a key organization, it reunites 7000 producers.

The low prices set by the state each year and the complexity of the official marketing circuit were factors that led to the deterioration of economic conditions for Senegalese peanut producers. In response to these issues, the CCPA saw to the creation of 47 inter-village economic interest groups that produce certified seeds, market raw peanuts, and transform part of the production. Furthermore, the CCPA resolutely participated in a dynamic plea and political dialogue process with the state and large businesses to guarantee fair prices and volumes for producers. It also supports innovative diversification initiatives in processing, to help increase family farm income.

With support from partners such as the Centre for International Studies and Cooperation (CECI), the CCPA committed to a process of strengthening its organizational and professional capacities.

It wishes to play an active role in defending the interests of producers while improving the quality and diversity of services to its members: quality seed supply and crop input, collective marketing, counsel-support, training, and financial and human resources management. To this day, it has supported diversification initiatives that have led to the development of small cooperatives – increasing the benefits for local economies in spite of the limited buying

In the field Solidarity finance

Reinventing finance The RISQ’s pre start-up fund

By Charles Guindon, Chantier de l’économie sociale

Five million dollars were granted to the RISQ following representations made to the Quebec government. This new pre-start-up fund’s goal is to support social economy businesses in the preparation and implementation of development and innovation projects. All steps involved in the transition of an idea to the creation of a new business are part of the pre-start-up phase. These steps are based on the presence of an entrepreneurial team, which includes a leader; the identification of a business opportunity; the invention or development of a product or value-added service, which fulfills economic and social needs; and the completion of pertinent studies. Several activities surrounding these steps are eligible for financing: prototypes, market testing, supplier negotiations, business-plan preparation, recruiting human resources, search for financing, etc.

Projects can be presented by new businesses, but also by existing social economy businesses wishing to explore new business opportunities and challenges or make their products or services available in a new region or community. Funds may also be used to develop partnership agreements or for the implementation of consortiums to respond to calls for tenders.

For further details: http://www.fonds-risq.qc.ca/

illustration: Annick désormeaux

Since its creation in 1997, the Chantier de l’économie sociale has made it a priority to increase access to capitalization for social economy businesses. Our belief is that innovation in financing social economy businesses depends on the participation of social economy players both for the identification of financing products and the management of indispensable financial tools to make them accessible. This led to the creation of the Réseau d’investissement social du Québec (RISQ), particularly to offer unguaranteed loan products and start-up support, among other services.

The establishment of the Fiducie du Chantier de l’économie sociale made it possible for us to push financial innovation even further by offering patient loans, which do not require reimbursement of capital for a period of 15 years. Two goals lie behind these innovations: to increase the financing of social economy projects and to influence financial markets to make them adjust their financing offers to suit the needs and characteristics of these businesses. In the past 15 years, we have been making significant progress towards these two goals. From one financial product or tool to another, we participate in the reinvention of finance to support the innovative force of social economy businesses.

The most recent product is a pre-start-up fund, which makes it possible for social economy businesses to innovate and develop new markets. Unlike private companies, social economy businesses have been unable to access start-up funds in Quebec. Although it was possible to obtain financing to pay for consulting services for the preparation of a business plan, it was practically impossible to finance the cost of the personnel required to execute the first steps of this same business plan.

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In the field

From microcredit to microfinance Sharing the innovation challenge

By Linda Maziade, Quebec Loan Fund

finance institution business model is becoming a financial services solution, not only in response to the needs of a large portion of the population that faces limited access to financial services, but also for a population wanting to invest and participate in a responsible and inclusive economic project.

Microinsurance and savings

Since 1997, the Quebec Loan Fund has developed original microcredit expertise. In the social economy and inclusive finance family, it is now well-known in Quebec City and throughout the province of Quebec as a leader and credible actor in community credit and local development. It mobilizes investors to provide access to credit and support individuals with a lower income who have business projects.

The Loan Fund is a socially responsible investment source; its loan capital of $1.2 million from private sources clearly demonstrates its ability to draw on local resources. The Loan Fund has loaned $2.3 million, resulting in total project costs of $10.4 million. The weighted average loan was $13 650. In the last year, the $315 000 loaned to 31 businesses confirms its crucial role as the first source of financing for people with entrepreneurial projects who cannot access traditional financing networks. It accompanies 94% of low-income individuals in the creation of their business. After five years, the survival rate of these businesses is 63%. They can be considered good payers since 90% of loans are reimbursed.

The economic context of the past two years has tightened banking standards in financial institutions. This has limited access to financial services for all self-employed individuals and small businesses regardless of the type of business entity. The application of a micro-

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not exist without them.

The implementation of the microfinance institution must be done through an original legal structure: a savings and credit mutual operated under the Trust and Loan Companies Act. The project must respect the applicable Quebec legislation. Since certain adaptations must be recognized, a private bill will be presented before the Quebec government.

Feasibility studies for the project were made possible by the Conférence régionale des élus de la Capitale Nationale program. We are now in the pre start-up stage. Our current goal is to create the conditions necessary for the implementation of the microfinance institution: market analysis, legal platform, financial structure, instrumentation, coordination, and consultations. Financial contributions from national (RISQ), regional (CRÉCN and BCN), and local (CLD of Québec) authorities, to which we add our own capital, are what make the project possible.

These partnerships, both public and private, must share a common vision of the current economic context, which requires research and the implementation of economic and financial development models based on an inclusive economy and citizen involvement.

Ultimately, this project will make it possible to consolidate the application of microcredit in the region while increasing integrated microfinance services.

photo: Quebec Loan Fund

As it was expanding a few years ago, the Loan Fund took steps to add microinsurance and savings services to its accompaniment and microcredit services, offering a global response to the precarious financial situation many people were experiencing. The institutional microfinance model has become a pertinent tool; the sustainable response to these increasing needs also requires an innovative institutionalization of the Loan Fund.

Desire alone cannot suffice. Since the model is new in Quebec, the creation of a financially innovative space in which partners accept to work together is necessary. The capacity to reunite various players (political, administrative, and private) is essential for the model to be successful. The project can-

In the field

Community Economic Development Investment Funds in Nova Scotia

photo: xelf (istock)

by Chris Payne, Nova Scotia Department of Economic and Rural Development

Nova Scotian’s have the opportunity to use their entrepreneurial spirits to develop innovative initiatives and solutions for their communities by investing in a Community Economic Development Investment Fund (CEDIF).

Promoted through the Nova Scotia Department of Economic and Rural Development and Tourism in partnership with the Nova Scotia Securities Commission and the Department of Finance, CEDIFs raise capital for a variety of interesting ventures throughout Nova Scotia.

These funds help keep investment dollars working in communities around the province, supporting locally produced products and services, creating jobs and stimulating growth.

A CEDIF is similar to other public offerings, but unlike the Toronto Stock Exchange, most of the investors live in the community where the business is located. Businesses within a community served by a CEDIF can apply to the Fund for a capital investment of an unsecured loan. The Fund must appoint a board of directors (minimum of six from the community) who decide how the capital raised is to be invested. Investors must also be kept up-to-date with a regular auditor’s report and an annual general meeting.

Introduced in 2000, 261 Nova Scotians originally invested $1.1 million into CEDIFs. Today, its popularity has grown and about 5,000 Nova Scotians invest more than $40 million, fueling economic growth in rural and urban areas.

CEDIFs raise capital for a variety of interesting ventures throughout Nova Scotia.

Nova Scotian’s who invest in these funds can receive a provincial personal income tax credit of 35 per cent. CEDIFs have also been recognized by the federal government as pre-approved holdings for a self-directed RRSP. While people may initially invest because of the tax credit, they will stay invested only if it provides a return to its investors.

There are now 45 funds in the province and the number continues to grow. These funds are supporting small- to medium-sized local businesses in areas such as agriculture, renewable energy, fair-trade and organic products, retail, performing arts and other businesses. The CEDIF program has become a model for other Atlantic provinces.

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In the field

Filaction and France Active Solidarity-based innovations

By Gilles Bourque, Éditions Vie économique

Solidarity-based financing is experiencing remarkable growth almost everywhere throughout the world. In Quebec, the most recent survey conducted by CAP Finance, a responsible, solidarity-based financing network1 indicates that the assets of this responsible financing component surpassed the billion dollar mark in 2010. The assets of solidarity-based financing are increasing because it meets concrete needs, and reflects emerging new practices. Let’s take a tangible case: the Capital Équitable fund recently launched by Filaction2. The goal of this fund is to further develop the supply of fair-trade products in Quebec by making a wider diversity of fair-trade products available to the public. Capital Équitable, in partnership with the Caisse d’économie solidaire, offers shortterm financing adapted to the specific needs of businesses importing fair-trade products.

1,0 0,8 0,6 0,4 0,2

France Active

Strong leadership, support from a pillar of France The creation of France Active was based on two vital ingredients: an outstanding founder and the unshakeable support of a flagship institution based upon the French development model. Claude Alphandéry, a war resister, senior public servant, and banker, began lobbying full-tilt for the development of a solidaritybased, social economy in the 1990s, and founded the organization France Active. Its mission: to fight social exclusion by supporting job creation projects developed by or for people who have been rejected by the labour market. When his project was getting off the ground, he received major support from the Caisse des dépôts et consignations (CDC), which had been playing a significant role in the development of solidarity-based financing in France for 30 years. Founded in 1816, the CDC even inspired Quebec public

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servants, who proposed the creation of the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDP) to the Lesage government at the beginning of the Quiet Revolution. Can we start to dream that the CDP will one day play the same role in terms of Quebec solidarity-based financing?

The creation of France Active was based on two vital ingredients: an outstanding founder and the unshakeable support of a flagship institution based upon the French development model.

1. http://www.capfinance.ca 2. http://www.filaction.qc.ca 3. http://www.franceactive.org

illustration: anne-laure jean

France is also one of the countries where the breeding ground for solidarity-based financing is particularly productive. Last year, one initiative, among the many that could help us illustrate this fact, celebrated 30 years of innovation amid less fortunate populations: France Active3. Today, France Active relies on a network of 40 local structures, called “Fonds territoriaux,” which exist throughout France. It is a key player in guaranteed micro-credit loans and the first solidarity-based company financier in France. In 2009, France Active financed 5141 projects and helped create or safeguard 19 973 jobs, of which 11 000 were for people in precarious situations. To do this, it mobilized 125 million Euros in the form of bank guarantees or inflows of funds thanks to the efforts of 416 salaried workers and 1000 volunteers. Finance Active, involved in all activity sectors, is most present in commerce – including fair-trade commerce – with 31% of the businesses created in this area.

In the field

How do Quebec, Mexico, and Europe constitute a venture capital fund in the social economy?

By Marie-Reine Roy, Caisse d’économie solidaire Desjardins

FIDES ÉCOSOL is an investment fund for the solidarity economy in Mexico in full capitalization. It has given itself an enormous challenge: to raise US$100 million to finance production cooperatives and companies acquired by cooperatives. In this way, the fund will support new collective projects as strategic as agricultural production, food processing, renewable energy, and financial services. It will therefore help offer an alternative model in the context of globalization, which makes the fund unique.

To accomplish this goal, the collaboration of many international partners will be required.

“The initiative is unique enough to be of interest to the InterAmerican Development Bank, which is the main source of development funding in Latin America and the Caribbean,” said Clément Guimond. In this project, he represents Filaction, a Quebec fund for local investment and the supply of community funds, which is helping the Mexicans.

“FIDES Écosol is pursuing five goals,” said Milder Villegas, general manager of Filaction. “To create a tool for the development of social economy businesses, to consolidate this sector of the economy, to create jobs, and to redistribute wealth, all while providing competitive returns.”

FIDES ÉCOSOL will therefore help offer an alternative model in the context of globalization, which makes the fund unique.

Quebec’s entire social economy network and particularly the collective tools of the CSN in investment and financing.”

To date, the project’s main international partners are the Mexican fund FIDES ECOSOL; Développement Solidaire International (DSI); the CSN’s cooperation NGO, which is composed of collective tools such as Filaction, Fondaction, and MCE Conseils in this project; Mondragon, a Basque federation of work cooperatives; and the European Federation of Ethical and Alternative Banks, a group of 24 banks and financial institutions in 11 countries of the European Union and Norway and Switzerland.

Quebec shares its expertise Presently, FIDES ECOSOL “has commitments of $20 million and foresees finishing next year with $40 million, and the following with $100 million,” said Clément Guimond, who pointed out that Filaction was one of the first organizations to offer guarantees in the limits of its capacities ($500 000). “That gave credibility to the project.”

Contributing with other international players, Filaction, Fondaction, and MCE Conseils share their knowledge and tools: management computer systems; methods of analyzing social economy businesses, investment structures, start-ups, restructuring, business transfers and evaluations, the management of specialized funds; etc.

For more information on FIDES ECOSOL’s first investments, you are encouraged to participate in the session entitled “Une coopération trinationale pour financer et soutenir des entreprises d’ESS au Mexique” at the 2011 International Forum on the Social and Solidarity Economy www.fiess2011.org.

Weaving community action around the world Central to the fund’s origin is the Jade Grupo Cooperativo Mexicano, a Mexican group of solidarity economy businesses that has been growing since 2005 as a “cooperative of cooperatives” and that supports the start-up of local and global development initiatives.

Its vision of economic performance is based on an integrated approach adapted to the political, social, environmental, community, and cultural context. Consider the needs of small coffee producers that are part of coops – processing, transporting, and marketing their crops. In 2007, the Jade group appealed to Quebec for financial participation and contacts with European financial institutions. Clément Guimond sees in this “recognition of the credibility of DÉVELOPPEMENT SOCIAL VOL.12 – No 2 – october 2011

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In the field Work and employment

Working and retiring in dignity is now possible

By Lise Gervais, Relais-Femmes

Working for a community group, women’s organization, social economy business, or cultural group is often synonymous with low wages and few social benefits. Employers do not have the financial means to give fringe benefits, which are tools for attracting and retaining employees. In addition, the low wages paid by such employers do not allow many personal savings – to the point that employees of these organizations can count on public pensions only, which are not enough to ensure a retirement income above the poverty line.

situation, or the age of his or her death. This type of plan is good both for wage earners, because it guarantees a retirement pension, and for employers who normally are unable to assume the risk of a classic defined benefits plan.

This type of plan is good both for wage earners, because it guarantees a retirement pension, and for employers who normally are unable to assume the risk of a classic defined benefits plan.

The employer’s obligation is limited to paying out the agreed premium; the employer has no control over the fund and is not bound by potential actuarial deficits. Participants collectively control the plan, bear the risks, and enjoy the benefits. The plan is different from a defined contribution plan, whose premium amounts are known but whose income and pension payment duration are determined at the time of retirement according to the plan’s performance and the state of the investment market. The risk inherent in those two latter variables of a defined contribution plan is borne individually.

The conservative approach of this plan ensures throughout retirement an annual pension payment of $10 for every $100 invested in the fund. If the plan’s financial health permits, pension payments may be indexed. The inter-company plan enables employee mobility between its various members. Out of respect for their independence, each member group determines its level of contribution, but some basic rules apply: the total contribution must be between 2% and 18% of income, and the employer must contribute the same level or higher as its employees. Wage earners can also buy back years of service and pay additional individual contributions.

Consistent with the values of the community sector, the plan’s governance is representative of the various components of participating groups with equal care given to a fair representation of men and women.

When its assets reach a sufficient level, it will apply a socially responsible investment policy while ensuring the ability to pay the promised benefits.

In May 2011, the plan had 2369 individual beneficiaries working for 323 groups, with total investments of $7 024 329.

The RRFS-GCF is a program with benefits determined by salary financing, which means the plan warrants a level of pension independent of the plan’s financial returns, the beneficiary’s financial

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For more information, see www.regimeretraire.ca.

photo: masaltof (istock)

Salaried employees working all their professional lives for the wellbeing of their fellow citizens often find themselves living below the poverty line in retirement. The Régime de retraite par financement salarial des groupes communautaires et de femmes (RRFS-GCF – a pension fund specially designed for employees of community and women’s groups) was created in response to this situation and has been adapted to the thousands of wage earners in the vast community sector.

In the field

Unions and the social economy in Quebec Two movements, one mission

photo: bobbieo (istock)

By Nathalie Guay, Confédération des syndicats nationaux, Isabelle Coulombe, Fédération des travailleurs et travailleuses du Québec and Normand Pépin, Centrale des syndicats démocratiques

Among the many alliances involving the union movement, our relations with the social and solidarity economy are basic. The two movements share many values: the fight against exclusion, democracy, participation, social justice, environmental protection, internationalism, economic and social viability, etc. There is a vision that comes from these values that expresses itself in collective action – one that places humans before profits, that looks forward into the long term, and that is anchored in communities.

The union movement and social economy share the common goal of social transformation and respond concretely to real needs: protecting workers, providing services to vulnerable people, social integration, and the desire to create or work for an organization with a social mission.

These shared aspects are not coincidental. The respective histories of the union movement and social economy in Quebec are intertwined through the work of many militants who have shaped both movements, occasionally at different times, occasionally at once – whether through the creation of credit and savings cooperatives, family economy cooperative associations, or daycare centres, or through the establishment of unions in social economy organizations.

Over time, this intertwining has multiplied the bonds between the two movements. First, this is the case in the creation of institutions devoted to solidarity finances, such as the Caisse d’économie solidaire, the Fond de solidarité de la FTQ, local solidarity funds, and Fondaction (the Fonds de développement de la CSN pour la coopération et l’emploi).

Second, the bonds have multiplied through participation at the organizational level, such as through attendance at the Chantier de l’économie sociale, at the sector council on community action and social economy labour, at the Community-Research University Alliances, etc.

Third, the two movements share a commitment for regional development, which manifests itself in the presence of union representatives in certain regional social economy poles and community economic development centres, and in the re-launch of companies in one-industry towns.

Fourth, the alliances become strategic, for example, in the daycare institutionalization process, in the adoption of a specific labour relations program for foster families of children or adults, or in the demand for more funding for social economy businesses providing domestic help.

Fifth, the bonds are multiplied through the promotion of the social economy within unions and to a greater degree through campaigns for responsible consumption and fair trade, as well as in the implementation of responsible supply policies that promote the social economy.

Sixth, the alliances are strengthened internationally through solidarity projects, meetings at forums, and various events.

The seventh facet of this alliance is fundamental. It exists in the organic relationship that emerges from the presence of unions in social economy organizations, work cooperatives, and shareholder workers’ cooperatives. Apart from sectors that are increasingly difficult to include in the social economy, such as the Desjardins movement, these unions have realities that are different from those of capitalist companies and the public sector. On the one hand, the role and position of the union in a conversion to work cooperative or shareholder workers’ cooperative are changing. On the other, social economy workers often unionize to ensure the shared values of the two movements materialize in the organization of work and given services.

All of these links mean that the union movement contributes to the definition and evolution of the social economy. It therefore plays a specific role in the social economy. At once stakeholder and generator or partner in initiatives, the union movement is also an organic ally whose specific mission gives it a critical eye. This sometimes provokes debates that play a fundamental role for both movements by engaging them in a critical review of their shared values.

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In the field

Youth employment in France Inevitable insecurity?

By Alain Philippe, Groupe Macif, France

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*The Macif, Mondiale, Crédit Coopératif, and Chèque Déjeuner foundations.

The companies Maif and MGEN.According to a Survey conducted in January 2010

by CSA for AVISE (Agence de valorisation des initiatives socio-économiques).

illustration: anne-laure jean

On February 11, 2011, the French monthly magazine Enjeux, Les Echos ran the following headline: “France dislikes its youth!” adding that “Close to 24% of young people under the age of 24 were unemployed in 2009, while the country stockpiled employment support programs. Professional insecurity, poverty, and loss of status are daily realities for youth in which neither society nor businesses have faith. How can these be reconciled?”

Will the Jeun’ESS (youth social and solidarity economy) program, initiated at the end of 2010 by the French government, the Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations, and by foundations and the social and solidarity economy,* contribute to this reconciliation? It’s too early to tell, but the program is making it a priority – even though not its first objective – to raise awareness among French youth of the social and solidarity economy and its trades.

The program seeks to promote among youth ages 16 to 30 the knowledge of a different way of working based on people’s needs and their environment and better able to meet the aspirations of young people.

In a study conducted in January 2010 by the Conseil Sondage Analyses for AVISE (Agence de Valorisation des Initiatives Socio-Economique), 75% of young people reported that just the fact of a company being a “social economy business” would encourage them to apply and that 62% were

interested in starting their own business.

To support these goals and help develop trust in youth by businesses, and to meet the expectations of youth who now more than ever are seeking a sense of meaning, the Jeun’ESS program will implement concrete actions in three main areas.

The first focuses on promoting the social and solidarity economy, particularly in the educational sector, and includes activities such as conferences and the creation of communication tools to be used in training and welcome centres for school children, students, and professionals.

Considering that most youth in France today want to be involved in projects that reconcile humans and the planet, the second area supports youth initiatives related to the social and solidarity economy and the entrepreneurial process in particular, through a massive call for projects. It also aims to create mutual aid or sponsorship networks for youth already working in the social and solidarity economy sector.

Lastly, the third area aims to develop good practices for social economy enterprises, and to encourage youth integration in the work force. To alleviate the significant number of retiring employees and volunteer managers, social and solidarity economy businesses must work harder to attract youth and involve them in their governance. To do this, the third area involves the promotion of pioneer or innovative social economy businesses to reinforce the role of youth in their midst and to welcome new employees and volunteers.

The Jeun’ESS program will be developed until the end of 2012. It has a budget of 1.3 million euros of which 600,000 are awarded by the government and 700,000 by the seven other partners who each contribute 100,000 euros.

It is overseen by AVISE and managed by a committee made up of one representative from each contributing partner.

In the field

Vocational education and socio-economic reintegration A government and social and solidarity dialogue in Mali

By Souleymane SARR, Association Jeunesse Action Mali (AJA Mali)

The Government of Mali has demonstrated its interest in vocational education for young people from Mali by creating the Ministère Stratégique responsible for vocational education and employment. This interest was capped by the creation of a national policy developed in close collaboration with professional associations and non-governmental organizations. Vocational education is a means of positioning young people through the professional skills they acquire and the culture of entrepreneurship that is shared.

Significant impact The project has had several effects, including the democratization of vocational education, a significant portion of the costs of which were assumed by the government and its special agencies. Training that leads to a diploma has become a credible answer to the needs of young people outside of the traditional education system. Current vocational education prepares a new type of craftsperson and agrolivestock farmer working according to current standards and capable of managing a micro-business. In this context, young people can contribute to the modernization of craftsmanship and farming in Mali through improved human resources and benefits.

ters. In the context of decentralization, local authorities are indeed able to play a key role in the development of vocational education.

This involvement is long overdue, and a lack of it will pose a problem of sustainability without the commitment of the various stakeholders who should get involved in current and future actions.

Furthermore, to strengthen the gains made in vocational education, some conditions will be required, including an enhanced normative role by the government to legitimize actions and practices whose purpose is to offer young people preparation for a quality socio-professional life.

Current experience demonstrates the importance of vocational education for young people in helping to address poverty and social exclusion. The development of this strategy should continue under the combined efforts of the government, local authorities, professional craftspeople, and farming organizations – support structures to stimulate a consistent approach for all vocational education activities.

photo: marie-françoise jean

Upcoming challenges These advances should not overshadow weaknesses for which solutions are urgently needed to ensure vocational education grows sustainably. These weaknesses involve the non-recognition of the economic potential of the regions in organizing the system of vocational education.

Young people should be trained in subjects that emphasize local potential and that will enable the development of comparative advantages over other communities. This would enable the development of a national vocational education map showing the differences and specific characteristics of each region. In the medium term, specialization would train craftspeople and farmers to become real economic stakeholders in local development by mastering production, processing, and service delivery techniques associated with the economic activity of each region.

We must also overcome the challenge of the non-involvement of local authorities in the organization and development of vocational education. Involvement should result in an increased role of local representatives in directional, organizational, and financial matDÉVELOPPEMENT SOCIAL VOL.12 – No 2 – october 2011

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On the municipal scene

The social economy and municipal authorities For sustainable development in local communities

By Yvon Poirier1

In Quebec, the relationship between the social economy and municipal authorities – and by extension local communities – is original and worth examining. This connection between municipalities and the social economy exists in part through local development centres (CLD) and regional committees of elected officials (Conférences régionales des élus – CRÉ)2 which each support in their own way the existence of the social economy.

CLDs: Technical and financial support for the social economy In Quebec, responsibility for local development and entrepreneurial support belongs to regional county municipalities (municipalités régionales de comté – MRC) and larger cities. However, the law specifies that this work can be delegated to a local development centre.

There are 120 such centres in Quebec: 111 CLDs proper and in some areas of Montreal 9 community economic development corporations (CEDECs) that have a CLD mandate3. They are all non-profit organizations whose role is to accompany private and collective entrepreneurs in accomplishing their business projects and to pro-

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vide a set of front-line services for businesses. CLDs and CEDECs form a link between the municipal world and social economy.

The Government of Quebec adopted Bill 171, creating CLDs, in December 1997. The bill followed Quebec’s Summit on Economy and Employment in 1996, which recognized social economy as a strategic area for development. The effort was in part to adapt business support policies. Under the legislation, CLDs have the mandate to prepare a strategy for entrepreneurial growth, including the social economy. At the same time, the government gave each organization an economic development fund, called Fonds de développement des entreprises d’économie sociale (FDEÉS), for specific support to social economy businesses. The organizations no longer have the obligation to keep such a FDEÉS, but a large majority nonetheless maintains a specific financial tool for the social economy. According to data from the ministère du Développement économique, de l’Innovation et de l’Exportation, more than $100 million has been invested through the FDEÉS in social economy businesses in 10 years (1998-2008), creating and maintaining more than 47 000 jobs and 5 700 businesses.

Photo: Coopérative La Maison verte

Coopérative La Maison verte

Quebec City and the social economy In 2008, the Government of Quebec adopted the Plan d’action gouvernemental pour l’entrepreneuriat collectif to increase the positive effects of collective entrepreneurship. It seeks to give leaders in this area concrete means that are adapted to their realities, to enhance the strength of the regions and to meet community needs according to a sustainable development approach.

The plan is for each CRÉ to sign a specific social economy agreement. Under its mandate, the Chantier de l’économie sociale du Québec guides the implementation of these agreements, particularly by supporting the creation of regional social economy poles in each region, a strategy which is also specified in the action plan.

In the Quebec City area, social enterprises have a social economy pole composed of 27 members. It adopted a number of rules for that composition, including balance between cooperatives and non-profit organizations, parity between men and women, representation of the sub-regions (Charlevoix, Portneuf), and representation of the various activity sectors. The organization is part of the CRÉ de la Capitale-Nationale, and the latter confirmed the rules set for nomination of pole members4.

For the Quebec City region, the social economy offers a promising model, since the rate of survival for regular businesses after 10 years is just 19.5%, compared to 44% for cooperatives5. Further more, because social economy businesses work so closely with their communities, they are committed to maintain their activities within the community and do not even think of ever “delocalizing”.

In the past 15 years, for example, over 40 health cooperatives have been created and are still operating in various regions of Quebec.

Most of these cooperatives were established to ensure better access to primary health services. Clinics therefore offer one or several physicians and sometimes other professionals, such as nurses and pharmacists. This is because, in smaller communities, doctors have been abandoning their private practices to set up in larger centres, leaving local populations without this essential service.

Citizens therefore created the cooperatives to establish a work infrastructure more appealing to doctors, including avoidance of lengthy travelling (50 to 100 kilometres) for basic medical attention.

In most cases, either the municipality itself, the local Caisse Desjardins, or the two entities together, have initiated or guided the process of creating the cooperative (providing space, facilitating meetings for cooperative training, etc.). Usually, more than 80% of the local population is member of the cooperative. However, non-members have access to the services covered by the public health insurance plan.

In many small towns and villages, essential services such as gas stations and grocery stores disappear due to their lack of sufficient returns for large corporate owners whose only criteria is economic profitability. Again, to avoid costly travel and loss of time, citizens and municipalities have worked together to create multi-service cooperatives to provide the community with basic services, including postal counters and Automated Teller Machines. The vast majority of these projects adopts a solidarity cooperative approach, which involves more than one category of member.

The City of Montreal’s policy6

Challenges remain

In 2009, the City of Montreal inaugurated its Social Economy Partnership for Community-Based Sustainable Development, the first public municipal policy in this area in Canada. The partnership is the result of cooperation between social economy leaders and the City of Montreal.

The partnership’s goals are to formally recognize the social economy’s contribution to the economic, social, and cultural development of the city; to support the social economy by drawing on the accomplishments of the past, by reinforcing existing means, and by adopting new methods to enable its growth; and to consolidate and increase the contribution of social economy members to the sustainable development of Quebec’s metropolis through the creation and development of collective businesses that meet citizen needs.

The partnership intends to function in five main areas, which are: support for collective entrepreneurship, solidarity supply practices, integrated promotion of the social economy, an increased role for the social economy in major metropolitan development projects, and an expanded role for the social economy in improving the quality of life of citizens through action in culture, recreation, tourism, housing, and sustainable development.

In 2007, turnover in the Montreal social economy was estimated at $2 billion. About 3600 establishments generated 61 500 jobs, representing 7% of total employment on the island of Montreal (as much as the tourism industry).

Although relations between local authorities and the social economy sector have been growing since 1998 through CLDs and CEDECs, they have often remained occasional or indirect, especially in regions where the social economy lacks a strong network.

In the rural world, municipalities are often very active in implementing and supporting collective businesses. In many sectors, such as housing, recreation, culture, local and citizen services, and waste management, municipalities depend on social economy businesses to meet community needs.

In urban areas, it has only been through the adoption of Montreal’s 2009 policy and the implementation of agreements under the Plan d’action gouvernemental pour l’entrepreneuriat collectif that formal partnerships between local authorities, through the CRÉs and social economy leaders in various regions, have developed, in part to promote and strengthen the social economy. In most regions, such partnerships are still in an initial phase and much remains to be done to consolidate them; however, they are already opening up an expansive work area to develop social economy businesses in each region that are capable of meeting citizen needs in every municipality of Quebec, whether in the environmental sector, sustainable transportation, or local services.

Cooperatives serving local populations Outside large urban centres, social economy businesses are often key to the very survival of towns and villages.

Usually with the support of municipal governments, local populations have implemented activities to develop or maintain essential local services to avoid onerous travel and migration toward larger centres. These social economy initiatives prevent rural exodus and in some cases even reverse the trend.

1. With thanks for their contributions to Jean‑François Breton, Nathalie Gagnon, Jean‑Pierre Girard, Johanne Lavoie, Nicole Moreau, and Nancy Neamtan.

2. Quebec is divided into 17 administrative regions, each managed by a Conférence régionale des élus (CRÉ), which includes municipal and provincial politicians from the region as well as various representatives of civil society upon invitation of the elected officials.

3. www.acldq.qc.ca/ 4. http://www.crecn.qc.ca/ententes-specifiques/economie-sociale.php 5. http://www.ledevoir.com/economie/actualites-economiques/296974/marginale-leconomie-sociale; data for all of Quebec.

6. http://ville.montreal.qc.ca/pls/portal/docs/PAGE/LIBRAIRIE_FR/DOCUMENTS/ ECONOMIESOCIAL2009.PDF DÉVELOPPEMENT SOCIAL VOL.12 – No 2 – october 2011

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What’s happening in the region

Gaspé and on the Magdelan Islands Celebrating books!

A tailor-made literary event in the Gaspé and on the Magdelan Islands

By Antoine Audet, CRÉ Gaspésie-Les-Îles-de-laMadeleine and Aurélien Bisson, Livres en fête!

In the 1990s, several book fairs were held in the Gaspé thanks to the determination of dozens of volunteers. However, the fact had to be faced that for many reasons this formula was not suited to the region. At the time, the Association des salons du livre du Québec was not really inclined to share the funding it received from the Société de développement des entreprises culturelles (SODEC) with a new book fair. Besides, publishing houses showed little interest in participating in a literary event taking place in the tiny Gaspé market.

In 2002, a number of authors and avid literature fans, assisted by the Conseil de la culture de la Gaspésie and the Centre régional de services aux bibliothèques publiques de la Gaspésie–Îles-de-la-Madeleine (CRSBP GÎM), decided to organize a grand gathering of the Gaspesian literary world to rekindle the flame of literary life in the region. One of the outcomes of this gathering, held in Carleton-sur-Mer in November 2002, was that the creation of a large-scale literary event was defined as one of two priorities to implement at the regional level. A plan for a literary event was subsequently developed in cooperation with several people involved in the culture and education milieu.

In 2006, the Conférence régionale des élus Gaspésie–Îles-de-laMadeleine (CRÉGÎM) agreed to financially support this new literary event project for a start-up period of three years. SODEC also agreed to participate in funding the event, conditional upon the involvement of the accredited bookstores in the area. The Ministère des Affaires municipales et des Régions (MAMR) was also part of the venture.

The concept of Livres en fête! (Celebrating Books!) was based on an important partnership with the community.

The organization still relies today on the involvement of the municipal (host cities and others), educational (English- and Frenchlanguage schools and school boards), community, and cultural sectors, making it a unique example of joint actions and partnerships related to the field of books and reading in the Gaspé and on the Magdelan Islands. In the first years of its existence, the event was spearheaded from an organizational perspective by the CRSBP GÎM. In August 2009, the organization Livres en fête! became incorporated; since that time, it has been operating independently, proof of the event’s maturity.

The first edition of Livres en fête!, held from April 24 to 30, 2006, was an immediate success. The response has been just as enthusiastic ever since. This year, more than 27 000 people took part in the

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sixth edition, which was held from April 3 to 10. The program for the 2011 edition featured 440 activities, and 34 authors participated.

It should be pointed out that the success of this formula is based on the fact that the program is decentralized throughout the area and activities are thus easily accessible. The existence of local committees to coordinate the holding of the literary event in different regional hubs also fosters its acceptance by the communities in the region.

RQDS News from the Réseau québécois de développement social (Quebec social development network)

By Christiane Lussier and Jude Brousseau, Réseau québécois de développement social (RQDS)

The most recent RQDS activity was held in St-Jean-Port-Joli on May 10 and 11, 2011. It provided the 23 members representing the RQDS’s 15 member regions and the 13 other stakeholders in attendance with an opportunity to learn about work in progress on the new RQDS action plan. This was a great occasion to confirm that the RQDS’s purpose is becoming more concrete.

What is becoming clearer through recent work is a desire among members to intensify discussions, enhance their skills, and expand their knowledge and savoir-faire. What is being further defined is this intention to create a genuine community of practice devoted to social development.

The RQDS can now count on significant support to spearhead this community of practice. An initial three-year agreement has been established between the RQDS and the Secrétariat à l’action communautaire autonome et aux initiatives sociales (SACAIS).

Pratiques et initiatives de lutte contre la pauvreté par le développement social intégré Participants were also given a training session on the knowledge transfer kit produced through a research study presented to the RQDS in 2008, entitled Pratiques et initiatives de lutte contre la pauvreté par le développement social intégré (practices and initiatives in fighting poverty through integrated social development). The kit, prepared

by Lise St-Germain from the Centre de recherche appliquée, covers the six major themes established in the research as being elements of success in fighting poverty, i.e.: territory, joint action, knowledge, leadership, relationship to policy, and citizen participation. The goal of this animation tool, based on lessons learned from research, is to enable Quebec stakeholders working in social development to reflect on their own experiences while considering the specific nature of their respective local dynamics.

Regional results In recent years, efforts to produce regional results from social development efforts have been pursued in most Quebec regions. IMPACT

What’s happening in the region

advisor Alain Meunier presented and validated the process planned for analyzing these results. He also engaged participants on issues related to social development with the processing of data in mind.

Chaudière-Appalaches The Chaudière-Appalaches region was involved in organizing the event, presenting a proposal to establish a regional commission on social development, offering two workshops on community-based initiatives such as family needs and quality of life in low-cost housing (HLMs), and inviting participants to tour a local cider mill.

Lanaudière A businessman’s values challenged The lecture – Un saut dans le vide, un saut dans le monde de la pauvreté (a leap into thin air, a leap into the world of poverty).

By Chantal Lalonde, Table des partenaires en développement social de Lanaudière

On May 26, 2011, at the general meeting of the Table des partenaires du développement social de Lanaudière, businessman Pierre Côté came to speak about his experience in his role as “social assistance recipient” in the TV documentary series Naufragés des villes (city castaways).

In the context of the Naufragés des villes documentary, this marketing and communications consultant, and creator of the Relative Happiness Index, decided in May 2010 to leave his comfortable Quebec City apartment to live in Montreal for two months, with the $592 dollars an unemployed bachelor capable of working receives from the Ministère de l’Emploi et de la Solidarité sociale as his only source of income. The famous welfare cheque as it’s known.

Coming from the world of business, Pierre Côté had to face his fears, insecurity, and hunger. He confronted the unknown, as well as his prejudices against the “poor” and “welfare cases.” Although having entrepreneurship skills, this man experienced the discouragement of not finding work with a curriculum vitae altered for the TV series.

His perception of the poor changed. He realized that it is not by choice or laziness that these people live on social assistance. “When a person finds himself on social assistance, he’s in survival mode, and day-to day needs are most important: eating, having a place to live... And it also means living with insecurity and isolation,” he stresses.

He doesn’t hesitate to say that it is not in his nature to give of himself or have empathy towards those who experience difficulties.

Nonetheless, Pierre Côté will never again allow himself to refer to people on social assistance as those taking advantage of the system.

This experience has left him with a different view of those on social assistance, and he mentions the need to “enhance their status, give

them renewed confidence, even if it’s only a little. From ‘losers’ and liabilities in the eyes of society, they become assets. Small steps, but all the same. We have to start or start over somewhere. That’s the crux of the matter!”

The Table des partenaires du développement social de Lanaudière hopes that Pierre Côté’s message will be heard by the greatest possible number of organizations bringing together business people and politicians because the latter have the power to change things and to support work to fight poverty undertaken by those involved in social development. Information on this lecture may be found on the Web site www.indicedebonheur.com or you can obtain a copy of Pierre Côté’s book entitled, Parenthèse Deux mois d’errance urbaine, published by Éditions Fides.

Pierre Côté’s lecture was intended as a link with the Government Action Plan for Solidarity and Social Inclusion that mobilized the Lanaudière region in spring 2011 to identify orientations to fight poverty.

For information, consult www.tpdsl.org.

Centre-du-Québec Ma communauté, clé en main: A turnkey information kit on using the community potential assessment sheet

By Monica Jekovska, Comité régional en développement social du Centre-du-Québec

There are no condemned communities, according to Louis Favreau, only communities without projects. There is a truth in that statement which inspires a decade of work in the Centre-du-Québec and Mauricie regions on community development indicators.

The culmination of that work is a tool developed by Réal Boisvert in cooperation with many people in the community which seeks to help communities adopt a collective project. This community potential assessment sheet is called the Fiche d’appréciation du potentiel de développement des communautés.

Specifically, the goal is to enhance people’s perception of a community’s development capacity. It is based on the principle that every community has development potential and that by uniting a certain number of people from diverse origins who know their community, a proper understanding of the community’s strengths and weaknesses can be achieved. Together, their perceptions constitute a diagnosis of the community’s potential. For example, to contribute to its development, a human community depends on realities such as sense of pride and belonging among its residents, their social networks, their sense of power over the evolution of their living environment, their tendency to participate in public events, neighbourhood relations, access DÉVELOPPEMENT SOCIAL VOL.12 – No 2 – october 2011

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to and the presence of neighbourhood services, and other elements specific to community life. Such information is not found in population surveys or censuses, but rather in the hearts and minds of those who know how their community is evolving.

By drawing on the knowledge of such people, the sheet can tap their perceptions of the strengths and limits of their community.

Together, these perceptions constitute a valuable diagnosis of the community’s potential. Whether modest or ambitious, the potential is the starting point for building a development project, whatever it may be, in cooperation with the local community’s central players and in partnership with all the community’s external resources.

In the hopes that our communities will increasingly appropriate and use the sheet, the Comité régional en développement social du Centre-du-Québec has worked in recent months on the preparation of an information kit on using the guide, entitled Ma communauté, clé en main. The kit includes a variety of tools to encourage use of the assessment sheet by communities while also proposing a set of tools for understanding the principles on which the sheet is based and the tools required to produce socio-economic and health profiles of communities, to organize discussion groups, and to evaluate an overall activity.

Official launch of the Ma communauté, clé en main kit as well as a training session on use of the assessment sheet and information kit are planned for October 2011.

ChaudièreAppalaches The Chaudière-Appalaches regional social economy table

By Céline Bernier, Table régionale d’économie sociale de ChaudièreAppalaches (TRÉSCA)

Since 2006, the Table régionale d’économie sociale de ChaudièreAppalaches (TRÉSCA) has been officially recognized as the regional social economy pole for the Chaudière-Appalaches region. In 2007, it therefore became the authorized agent for the Entente spécifique sur le développement de l’économie sociale dans la Chaudière-Appalaches, the first specific agreement on the social economy concluded in Quebec. For 2008-2013, with the addition of commitments from the 2008 Plan d’action gouvernemental pour l’entrepreneuriat collectif, the 26 signatories agreed to invest $1 189 838 in monetary contributions or specific services or activities.

The partners want to foster cooperation, sharing, and collaboration with one another and harmonize their work to achieve the goals of the specific agreement, to optimize the results, and to highlight the social economy throughout the region. The agreement’s goals are to promote the social economy; financial and technical support for the social economy; skills development for social economy company employees, managers, directors, and promoters; and cooperation and networking among community businesses and their partners.

A few accomplishments: The Table régionale d’économie sociale de Chaudière-Appalaches carried out a study entitled Réalités et dynamiques régionale de l’économie

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sociale1 as well as the Portrait socio-économique des entreprises d’économie sociale de la Chaudière-Appalaches. It also organized two fall sessions of Social Economy Week in cooperation with the social economy pole of the Capitale-Nationale region in Quebec City. The TRÉSCA provides training that has assisted 185 community business employees, managers, and directors, covering seven themes and held in seven of the region’s MRCs. Sensitive to the challenges faced by the roughly 500 community businesses in the region’s 10 MRCs, the TRÉSCA has adopted an ambitious action plan, through the specific agreement, to focus everyone’s work on one goal: to reach the full development potential of the social and solidarity economy in the Chaudière-Appalaches region.

The agreement’s signatories are the Ministère des Affaires municipales, Régions et Occupation du territoire, the Ministère de l’Emploi et de la Solidarité sociale, the Conférence régionale des élu(e)s de la ChaudièreAppalaches, the Table régionale d’économie sociale, the Coopérative de développement régionale Québec-Appalaches, the Forum jeunesse régional Chaudière-Appalaches, Chaudière-Appalaches school boards, the region’s local development centres and economic development agencies, and its community development corporations.

1. COMEAU, Yvan, “Réalités et dynamiques de l’économie sociale. La Capitale Nationale et Chaudière-Appalaches”, Éditions Vie Économique (Coopérative de solidarité), research collection 2009, 238p.

North Shore The Forum d’économie sociale (social economics forum) and L’Escale

By Annie Cloutier, Innovation et développement Manicouagan, and Jude Brousseau, Conférence régionale des Élus de la Côte-Nord

A social economics forum on the North Shore On May 11, 2011, the very first edition of the Forum économie sociale sur la Côte-Nord was held. This was an initiative of Innovation et développement Manicouagan (CLD) supported by the Conférence régionale des élus, the Société d’aide au développement des collectivités de Manicouagan, and EcoBeam, a social economics company.

This forum’s goal was to promote a different kind of entrepreneurship than large-scale organizations, which are pervasive on the North Shore, and thus to diversify the local economy.

Céline Charpentier from the Comité sectoriel de la main d’œuvre (CSMO) and Diane Maltais from the Caisse d’économie solidaire Desjardins attended. Entrepreneurs from Baie-Johan-Beetz, Havre-St-Pierre, Baie-Comeau, and Forestville also came to discuss their experiences.

This first edition was planned to provide an ideal opportunity to network, which is why, in addition to the various themes addressed – i.e. business start-up, legal structures (not-for-profit, cooperative), financing, and teamwork – considerable time was devoted to discussion and networking.

In all, about 50 people from Blanc-Sablon to Tadoussac – community stakeholders, entrepreneurs, and social economic company managers – took part in this first very successful forum.

With the forum intended as a means to promote social economics on the North Shore, the stage is now set for a second edition.

What’s happening in the region

L’Escale On November 3, 4 and 5, 2011, social development stakeholders are invited to Sept-Îles where the theme will be Leadership partagé: Faire un pas de plus ensemble (shared leadership: taking another step together). L’Escale is a major event, which has been held every two years since 2003 to provide a venue for discussion, training, joint efforts, and practising intersectoriality. It is hoped that the next edition will shed light on what economic cycles and large-scale projects produce as spinoffs in the communities. And for organizing committee members, it is clear that the issue of shared leadership will be a focus of concern.

Information: www.escale.ning.com.

Montérégie East The social economy in action

By Claire Mailhot, Conférence régionale des élus (CRÉ) de la Montérégie Est

Launched in June 2010, the Pôle régional d’économie sociale de la Montérégie Est is a platform for cooperation on the region’s social economy. It was eagerly awaited by the community and responds to a real need within the social economy to structure a regional network with local, regional, and provincial partners.

A highly diverse territory, the Montérégie East covers part of metropolitan Montreal and part of the surrounding rural area.

This is evident in the variety of products and services offered by social economy businesses in the region, whether in the agricultural, environmental, or other sectors, or in neighbourhood services.

For their first year, members of the Pôle régional prepared an action plan. With promotion as the chosen priority, members proudly organized a series of field visits within the 2011 International Forum on the Social and Solidarity Economy.

Drawing on the Forum’s sub-themes, four field-visit subjects are proposed for the event program. The field visits highlight the talents of people from a dozen businesses spread over the nine MRCs within the region. The four subjects are as follows.

Collective entrepreneurship and innovation in the environment in the Vallée-du-Richelieu, Marguerite d’Youville, and Pierre-De Saurel MRCs; Labour and employment, building on creativity in integrating people, in the Haut-Richelieu and Rouville MRCs; Local development and territory, from agriculture to culture, in the Maskoutains and Acton MRCs; Local development and territory, the role of elected officials in the development of the social economy in the Brome-Missisquoi and Haute-Yamaska MRCs. As part of its 10th anniversary celebrations, the Coopérative de développement régional (CDR) de la Montérégie filmed 10 documentary video capsules profiling Montérégie cooperatives and their strength. Through the videos, the CDR is highlighting the main aspects of this business model while giving a face to the success of the regional cooperative movement.

For more information on the diversity and wealth of Montérégie East social economy businesses, you can see the video capsules, which were produced by the regional CRD, entitled “Coop on tourne!”

Follow this link: www.cdrm.fcdrq.coop/video.

Mauricie From the bin to the harvest...

By Réjean Veillette, Corporation de développement communautaire Centre-de-la-Mauricie

Combining cabinetmaking with composting? All it took was someone to come up with the idea! Noting the phenomenal waste of food, the Centre de formation et réinsertion sociale Yves Marcil (CFRYM)1 – one of 12 services offered by the Centre Roland-Bertrand2– launched an experimental project to compost and design composting bins from wood in cooperation with the social integration program at the Centre d’éducation aux adultes de Shawinigan (CEA), beginning in autumn 2009.

With easy access to the two primary materials, i.e. food waste from Partage Centre-Mauricie and wood from the CFRYM’s cabinetmaking sector, students from the Centre d’éducation aux adultes de Shawinigan have been learning composting techniques since January 2010. Spring 2010 saw the first harvesting of compost made from perishable food supplied by Partage Centre-Mauricie and recycled material from the Centre Roland-Bertrand. A gardening project was started and seedlings and a few vegetable plants were planted and cared for. Then, everything was transferred into a garden and the Centre’s flowerbeds.

For the population The impact has been widespread and quite varied. Due to the very interesting initial results, in autumn 2010 those in charge decided to provide the public with a depot for fallen leaves. This endeavour was so successful that shelters had to be sought to store the bags of leaves.

For the participants, this is above all a learning experience on ecological principles, with concrete applications. Participants are thus agents of change, going as far as to take these notions home with them. They feel important and, most of all, competent! Each time a bin is sold, you can see the pride on their faces. They are proud because they made the product.

1. The Centre de formation et de réinsertion Yves Marcil, is one of the services provided by the Centre Roland-Bertrand where we help participants develop and maximize their potential. Between 15 and 20 participants explore various workshops to enhance their professional and social skills.

2. The Centre Roland-Bertrand is an organization assisting people affected by poverty in the Shawinigan region.

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Just released

Formation et employabilité. Regard critique sur l’évolution des politiques de formation de la main-d’œuvre au Québec (Training and employability: A critical review of the evolution of employment training policies in Quebec) Colette Bernier, 2011, Montreal, Presses de l’université de Laval This book examines upcoming changes to employment and training policies and potential solutions. More specifically, the author describes the reasons why labour training has taken such a central role in public policies related to employment, here in Quebec as elsewhere in the world. The book gives a clear and concise presentation of the principles, notions, and theories required to understand the current evolution. The work is of interest to specialists and stakeholders as much as students and citizens wishing to participate in the debate. http://www.pulaval.com/catalogue/formation-employabilite-regard-critique-sur-evolution-9648.html

Portrait 2010 de la finance responsable au Québec (2010 portait of responsible finance in Quebec) Gilles Bourque, Allison Marchildon, Marguerite Mendell et al., 2011, Montreal, CAP Finance and Chair in Applied Ethics Several decades of financial deregulation and immoderate speculation led to the financial crisis of 2008. During the same period, a new kind of finance emerged: socially responsible finance. It takes into consideration ethical, social, and environmental concerns.

This publication profiles two main components of socially responsible finance: investment in financial markets and direct financial investment in companies in Quebec. The publication is succinct, contains summary tables, and targets both specialists and the general public.

As the second inquiry of its kind, this study shows results that demonstrate the significant growth in socially responsible finance practices. http://capfinance.ca/contenu/centre_de_documentation/Synthese_Portrait_2010_FSR.pdf

Démocratie participative, impératif délibératif et empowerment (Participatory democracy, deliberative imperative, and empowerment) Synthèse d’un Petit-déjeuner du Pôle de ressources du 14 juin 2010 (Summary of a Pôle de ressources breakfast on June 14, 2010), Pôle de Ressources Ville et Développement Social Val d’Oise, 2011 This publication summarizes the statements made during a discussion organized by the Pôle de ressources Ville et Développement Social du Val d’Oise on the topic of participatory democracy. Two approaches are presented: that of Loïc Blondiaux, professor and researcher of political science, who advocates the principles of deliberative democracy and describes the obligation for discussion, debate, and advertising in the process of co-producing public policy.

For her part, Marie-Hélène Bacqué, professor of sociology and urban planning, advocates the notion of empowerment, describing the process of assuming individual and collective power in the local political arena. http://www.poleressources95.org/publications/dossiers_syntheses_detail-139democratie-participative--imperatif-deliberatif-et-empowerment.html

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Dix ans d’études urbaines au Québec. Bilan et perspectives d’avenir (Ten years of urban studies in Quebec. Results and perspectives on the future) Geneviève Cloutier, Jean-Pierre Collin, and Claire Poitras (ed.), 2011, Montreal, Presses de l’université de Laval This book describes the results of urban studies in Quebec during the first decade of the 21st century. Urban studies are distinguished by their interdisciplinary nature and critical distance from public action. How are major contemporary urban issues examined?

What tools have been developed by researchers to analyze these issues? Themes such as immigration, community dynamics, economic development, institutional governance and reform, the environment, heritage, forms of housing, and territorial representation are all explored. The state of urban studies as presented by the contributors highlights the strength of research and establishes avenues to explore for the future. This book is a starting point to better understand the particular nature of urban studies in Quebec. http://www.pulaval.com/catalogue/dix-ans-etudes-urbaines-quebec-bilan-9646.html

L’économie sociale à Montréal (The social economy in Montreal) Lucie Dumais, Denis Bussières, and Annie Béchard (ed.), 2011, Montreal, Collection « Recherche », Éditions Vie économique What is meant by the social economy in Montreal? What global, sector, and partner dynamics characterize it? This book offers some answers, drawing on the analyses and presentations of six research studies, which are the result of a partnership between social economy academics and practitioners. Through the research, the book’s authors propose addressing the reality of the Montreal social economy and its issues according to different angles, divided in seven chapters. The book concludes with avenues for further consideration and action to strengthen partnership research in the social economy, which is the Ariadne clew of the publication. http://www.eve.coop/mw-contenu/publications/Depliant_ES_Mtl.pdf

Articulation entre vie personnelle et vie professionnelle: Le secteur de l’économie sociale a-t-il une philosophie de gestion plus favorable?

Une comparaison entre quatre secteurs (Balance between personal life and professional life: Does the social economy sector have a more conducive management philosophy?

A comparison between four sectors) Diane-Gabrielle Tremblay, 2011, Research note of the Community-University Research Alliance on the management of social time and age Several research studies have examined measures for balancing these two aspects in life and have found that the public sector and large companies generally offer better support. This research note studies whether the more democratic management style within the social economy has an effect on conciliation measures. The social economy’s measures, and particularly those provided by daycare centres, were therefore studied to determine whether a different, more democratic, management method can result in a better work-family balance. The sector was compared to three others, also with service mandates, but in the public sector. http://benhur.teluq.uquebec.ca/SPIP/aruc/IMG/pdf_ARUC-NR11-7.pdf

DÉVELOPPEMENT SOCIAL VOL.12 – No 2 – october 2011

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Just released

Formation et employabilité. Regard critique sur l’évolution des politiques de formation de la main-d’œuvre au Québec (Training and employability: A critical review of the evolution of employment training policies in Quebec) Colette Bernier, 2011, Montreal, Presses de l’université de Laval This book examines upcoming changes to employment and training policies and potential solutions. More specifically, the author describes the reasons why labour training has taken such a central role in public policies related to employment, here in Quebec as elsewhere in the world. The book gives a clear and concise presentation of the principles, notions, and theories required to understand the current evolution. The work is of interest to specialists and stakeholders as much as students and citizens wishing to participate in the debate. http://www.pulaval.com/catalogue/formation-employabilite-regard-critique-sur-evolution-9648.html

Portrait 2010 de la finance responsable au Québec (2010 portait of responsible finance in Quebec) Gilles Bourque, Allison Marchildon, Marguerite Mendell et al., 2011, Montreal, CAP Finance and Chair in Applied Ethics Several decades of financial deregulation and immoderate speculation led to the financial crisis of 2008. During the same period, a new kind of finance emerged: socially responsible finance. It takes into consideration ethical, social, and environmental concerns.

This publication profiles two main components of socially responsible finance: investment in financial markets and direct financial investment in companies in Quebec. The publication is succinct, contains summary tables, and targets both specialists and the general public.

As the second inquiry of its kind, this study shows results that demonstrate the significant growth in socially responsible finance practices. http://capfinance.ca/contenu/centre_de_documentation/Synthese_Portrait_2010_FSR.pdf

Démocratie participative, impératif délibératif et empowerment (Participatory democracy, deliberative imperative, and empowerment) Synthèse d’un Petit-déjeuner du Pôle de ressources du 14 juin 2010 (Summary of a Pôle de ressources breakfast on June 14, 2010), Pôle de Ressources Ville et Développement Social Val d’Oise, 2011 This publication summarizes the statements made during a discussion organized by the Pôle de ressources Ville et Développement Social du Val d’Oise on the topic of participatory democracy. Two approaches are presented: that of Loïc Blondiaux, professor and researcher of political science, who advocates the principles of deliberative democracy and describes the obligation for discussion, debate, and advertising in the process of co-producing public policy.

For her part, Marie-Hélène Bacqué, professor of sociology and urban planning, advocates the notion of empowerment, describing the process of assuming individual and collective power in the local political arena. http://www.poleressources95.org/publications/dossiers_syntheses_detail-139democratie-participative--imperatif-deliberatif-et-empowerment.html

54

DÉVELOPPEMENT SOCIAL VOL.12 – No 2 – october 2011

Dix ans d’études urbaines au Québec. Bilan et perspectives d’avenir (Ten years of urban studies in Quebec. Results and perspectives on the future) Geneviève Cloutier, Jean-Pierre Collin, and Claire Poitras (ed.), 2011, Montreal, Presses de l’université de Laval This book describes the results of urban studies in Quebec during the first decade of the 21st century. Urban studies are distinguished by their interdisciplinary nature and critical distance from public action. How are major contemporary urban issues examined?

What tools have been developed by researchers to analyze these issues? Themes such as immigration, community dynamics, economic development, institutional governance and reform, the environment, heritage, forms of housing, and territorial representation are all explored. The state of urban studies as presented by the contributors highlights the strength of research and establishes avenues to explore for the future. This book is a starting point to better understand the particular nature of urban studies in Quebec. http://www.pulaval.com/catalogue/dix-ans-etudes-urbaines-quebec-bilan-9646.html

L’économie sociale à Montréal (The social economy in Montreal) Lucie Dumais, Denis Bussières, and Annie Béchard (ed.), 2011, Montreal, Collection « Recherche », Éditions Vie économique What is meant by the social economy in Montreal? What global, sector, and partner dynamics characterize it? This book offers some answers, drawing on the analyses and presentations of six research studies, which are the result of a partnership between social economy academics and practitioners. Through the research, the book’s authors propose addressing the reality of the Montreal social economy and its issues according to different angles, divided in seven chapters. The book concludes with avenues for further consideration and action to strengthen partnership research in the social economy, which is the Ariadne clew of the publication. http://www.eve.coop/mw-contenu/publications/Depliant_ES_Mtl.pdf

Articulation entre vie personnelle et vie professionnelle: Le secteur de l’économie sociale a-t-il une philosophie de gestion plus favorable?

Une comparaison entre quatre secteurs (Balance between personal life and professional life: Does the social economy sector have a more conducive management philosophy?

A comparison between four sectors) Diane-Gabrielle Tremblay, 2011, Research note of the Community-University Research Alliance on the management of social time and age Several research studies have examined measures for balancing these two aspects in life and have found that the public sector and large companies generally offer better support. This research note studies whether the more democratic management style within the social economy has an effect on conciliation measures. The social economy’s measures, and particularly those provided by daycare centres, were therefore studied to determine whether a different, more democratic, management method can result in a better work-family balance. The sector was compared to three others, also with service mandates, but in the public sector. http://benhur.teluq.uquebec.ca/SPIP/aruc/IMG/pdf_ARUC-NR11-7.pdf

DÉVELOPPEMENT SOCIAL VOL.12 – No 2 – october 2011

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Développement social

Board of Directors of the “Amis de la revue Développement social” Angèle-Anne Brouillette, Développement social magazine Mélanie Chabot, Développement social magazine* Ariane Émond, independent journalist and broadcaster Marcel Gélinas, Regroupement québécois des intervenantes et intervenants en action communautaire (RQIIAC) Denis McKinnon, Table nationale des Corporations de développement communautaire (TNCDC) Marie-Josée Ouellet, Secrétariat à l’action communautaire autonome et aux initiatives sociales (SACAIS) Louis Poirier, Institut national de santé publique du Québec (INSPQ) Christiane Lussier, Réseau québécois de développement social (RQDS) Editorial Board Angèle-Anne Brouillette, Développement social magazine Mélanie Chabot, Développement social magazine Sophie Clerc, Développement social magazine Geneviève Giasson, Vers L’IMPACT Maud Emmanuelle Labesse, Développement social magazine* Coordinator and Interim Editor-in-Chief Angèle-Anne Brouillette Contributors to This Issue Anne-Marie Angers, Antoine Audet, Michèle Audette, Samuel Barco, Céline Bernier, Aurélien Bisson, Sagun Bista, Gilles Bourque, Marie-Joëlle Brassard, Jean-François Breton, Jude Brousseau,

Nancy Burrows, Audrey Cadillon, Cybel Chagnon, Raphael Chaves, Jean-Louis Chaumel, Annie Cloutier, Jennifer Cooke, Patrick Côté, Isabelle Coulombe, Patrick Déry, Louis Favreau, André Fortin, Linda Gagnon, Martin Gagnon, Nathalie Gagnon, Lise Gervais, Jean-Pierre Girard, Nathalie Guay, Clément Guimond, Charles Guindon, Mohamed Hage, Peter Hall, Roch Harvey, Julien Hista, Monica Jekovska, René Lachapelle, Marie-Pierre Lainé, Chantal Lalonde, Ramesh Lama, Gérald Larose, Johanne Lavoie, Jean-Frédéric Lemay, Magdalena León T., Jocelyn Lessard, Laurent Lessard, Christiane Lussier, Kurt Lynn, Claire Mailhot, Guy Martin, Sylvain Matte, Linda Maziade, Marguerite Mendell, Nicole Moreau, Nancy Neamtan, Francine Ouellet, Paul Ouellet, Chris Payne, Normand Pépin, Alain Philippe, Yourianne Plante, Yvon Poirier, Brunilda Reyes, Damien Rousselière, Marie-Reine Roy, Guy Sabourin, Souleymane Sarr, Simon-St-Onge, Melina Schoenborn, Amanda Sheedy, Hélène Simard, Youssef Alaoui Solaimani, Odette Trépanier, Catherine Trudeau, Yves Vaillancourt, Réjean Veillette, Milder Villegas.

Editorial Policy Développement social magazine reports on social development advancements in communities and regions, promotes social development and increases awareness of it among local, regional, and provincial stakeholders. In accordance with defined objectives, articles must be written to inform readers and promote social development.

Published texts remain the responsibility of their authors and in no way commit the magazine’s partners. Articles may be reproduced on condition that appropriate credit is given to Développement social.

Contact Information Revue Développement social 190, boulevard Crémazie Est, Montréal (Québec) H2P 1E2 Telephone: 514-864-1600 Fax: 514-864-1616 E-mail: developpement.social@inspq.qc.ca Legal deposit: Bibliothèque nationale du Québec, National Library of Canada, ISSN 1488‑6499 *On maternity leave

Photos and Illustrations Atelier NAC, Christian Blais, Maude Chauvin, Annick Désormeaux, Anne-Laure Jean, Marie-Françoise Jean, Guillaume Simoneau.

Design Annick Desormeaux , Artistic Director Anne-Laure Jean, Graphic Designer Sandrine Lemaître, stagiaire English-Language Translation Stevenson & Writers Inc. Technical Support Madalina Burtan

Publication of this magazine was made possible thanks to financial contributions from: Table de coordination nationale en santé publique Ville de Montréal Institut national de santé publique du Québec Conseil du statut de la femme Ministère des Affaires municipales, des Régions et de l’Occupation du territoire Ministère du Développement économique, de l’Innovation et de l’Exportation Ministère de l’Éducation, du Loisir et du Sport Ministère de l’Emploi et de la Solidarité sociale Ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux

Photo: Guillaume Simoneau

Editor Institut national de santé publique du Québec, 945 Wolfe Avenue, Sainte-Foy, Quebec G1V 5B3

Content Subject:

Social and solidarity economy and public policy Issues and challenges 02 Working together. Co-construction

of public policies: Issues and Challenges by Simon St-Onge 05 The dialogue between public

powers and non-governmental

organizations in Quebec:

Shall we discuss it? A discussion

with Peter Hall, Laurent Lessard, Nancy Neamtan and Hélène Simard par Sophie Clerc

08 From the solitary economy to

solidarity economy Quebec’s natu‑

ral resource sector by Melina Schoenborn

18 Mali, Bolivia and Spain.

New opportunities internationally

for the social and solidarity economy

by Roch Harvey et coll.

food security and sovereignty

20 Solidarity around the planet

34 Putting some ‘’bite’’ into food

security and sovereignty

by Angèle-Anne Brouillette

In the field Innovation And collective entrepreneurship 22 A plant imported from Russia

creates jobs in Sainte-Rita

by Melina Schoenborn

23 A Garden of Eden in the Saguenay Lac-Saint-Jean region?

by Melina Schoenborn

24 Val-Éo: The power of the wind

by Melina Schoenborn

25 Nepal: A community forestry pioneer

by Audrey Cadillon

10 Local development and the cultural

social economy. Diversity of forms

and ambivalence regarding territory

by Damien Rousselière

26 The shea industry in Mali and Burkina Faso. Created jobs for women by Roch Harvey

12

local development and Territory

Building the future without forget‑ ting the past. Food sovereignty through Quebec’s economie soli‑ darity initiatives by Jean-Frédéric Lemay

14 When work is synonymous with

solidarity. Summary of labour

challenges in the social economy

and community action employment sector by Comité sectoriel de la

main-d’œuvre and Sophie Clerc

16 Alternative financing. Innovation

and financing in Quebec’s social economy by André Fortin et Marie-Reine Roy

Our chronicals 01 A word from the Editorial Committee

by Angèle-Anne Brouillette

28 Vox Pop

Women. At the heart of the social and solidarity economy

33 Aboriginal people of Chiapas and

solidarity initiatives by Marie-Pierre Lainé

27 The Cabaret-Boutique des Bons Voisins. A helping hand for Pointe Claire village by Anne-Marie Angers 30 Welcome to paradise

by Angèle-Anne Brouillette

31 The arts as central to community

by Jennifer Cooke

32 A self-operating production structure by Julien Hista

48 On the municipal scene The social economy and municipal

authorities. For sustainable development in local communities

50

What’s happening in the region

54

Just released

by Yvon Poirier

by Guy Sabourin

37 COPAG: An inspirational cooperative

by Youssef Alaoui Solaimani 38 Senegal’s Cadre de concertation

des producteurs d’arachides.

Increasing producers’ revenue

by Roch Harvey

Solidarity fiNance 39 Reinventing finance The RISQ’s pre start-up fund

by Charles Guindon

40 From microcredit to microfinance.

Sharing the innovation challenge

by Linda Maziade

41 Community Economic Development. Investment Funds

in Nova Scotia by Chris Payne 42 Filaction and France Active.

Solidarity-based innovations

by Gilles Bourque

43 How do Quebec, Mexico and Europe

constitute a venture capital fund in the

social economy? by Marie-Reine Roy

Work and Employment 44 Working and retiring in dignity

is now possible by Lise Gervais 45 Unions and the social economy in

Quebec. Two movements, one mis‑ sion by Nathalie Guay, Isabelle Coulombe

et Normand Pépin

46 Youth employment in France.

Inevitable insecurity? by Alain Philippe 47

Vocational education and socioeconomie reintegration. A govern‑ ment and social and solidarity dialogue in Mali by Souleymane Sarr

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