Around a hundred cooperatives are created each year in Quebec. The craze shows no signs of slowing down: the movement is attracting more and more young people, who identify with the values advocated by coops. However, they must remain competitive and agile if they want to survive. Overview.
Marie-Josée Paquette, general director of the Conseil québécois de la cooperative et de la mutualité (CQCM), is categorical: Quebec is a leader in cooperatives. “Two-thirds of Canada’s cooperatives are created in the province,” she emphasizes.
She adds that entrepreneurs can count on a well-established ecosystem to support them, with cutting-edge expertise in several sectors of activity, such as food and forestry.
“We also have the support of the Quebec government, which recognizes the contribution of cooperatives to the creation of wealth in all regions. It has notably subsidized the start-up of cooperatives since 2004,” adds Marie-Josée Paquette.
In 2017, Pivot became the first architecture cooperative in Quebec. “We have been working on community-oriented projects for a long time. Two colleagues wondered why there were no cooperatives in our field. Little by little, we rethought the very hierarchical system of architecture so that it was as self-managed and horizontal as possible,” explains Suzanne Laure Doucet, who is one of the eight founding members.
For Angelica Peraza, auxiliary member of Pivot, this model allows you to understand how to manage an architectural firm and to have a voice. “We can also take more space in projects and their development,” she believes.
There is no boss at Pivot. Decisions – sometimes debated at length! – are taken by consensus during weekly meetings of members, who are not all architects.
The team also chooses projects as a group. Over time, Pivot has specialized in social economy. She designs, among other things, housing co-ops, centers for the homeless and community buildings.
The architectural cooperative first had to convince its peers of the feasibility of its model, especially regarding questions of ethics. Today, the idea of practicing with transparency and consensus arouses great curiosity. The fact remains that swimming against the current brings with it its share of constraints.
“We believe in self-management, but it’s constant learning,” summarizes Angelica Peraza.
Marie-Josée Paquette, for her part, believes that cooperatives must remain competitive on the market. “They must take the digital shift and remain agile even if it is more difficult to move quickly when several people decide. »
They must also ensure that they seek out the expertise required to conquer other market shares or keep up to date with the latest trends. “They need to be ambitious and innovative. They shouldn’t be afraid to grow up. »
Cooperatives, which often want to be leaders in the fight against climate change or in diversity and inclusion, appeal to young people. “We are in line with the values of the new generation of entrepreneurs, who want to give meaning to their work,” notes Marie-Josée Paquette. “The appeal of a coop is that it is managed democratically and advocates fairness.”
It is for this reason that the general director of the CQCM would like us to educate young people at school about this business model. “In administration, we present the SME, not the cooperative,” she laments. She would also like the general population to encourage co-ops.
For her, a cooperative is not just a business. It is a social project that meets the needs of a community. “The money remains in Quebec and the benefits are invested in the community. »
