Canadian Co-operative Association
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Canadian Co-operative Association (CCA) is a national association for co-operatives in Canada, representing more than seven million co-operative and credit union members from over 3,000 organizations. CCA members come from many sectors of the economy, including finance, insurance, agri-food and supply, wholesale and retail, housing, health and the service sector. CCA provides leadership to promote, develop, and unite co-operatives and credit unions for the benefit of people in Canada and around the world.
CCA was created in 1987 by the merger of the Co-operative Union of Canada and Co-operative College of Canada. The Co-operative Union of Canada was formed in 1909 to encourage sharing of information, mutual self-help and concerted actions among Co-operative organizations. From 1973 to 1987, the Co-operative College of Canada was a national centre for co-operative education and research. It was established to provide co-op business training and to teach co-op principles. Although the college itself was short-lived, its formative years go back to the late 1930s and early 1940s, when there was a strong push and a practical need for an educational link to the co-operative movement.
Among those who have led CCA and the CUC since its inception in 1909 are A.B. MacDonald, a prominent leader in the Antigonish Movement, Alexander Laidlaw and Dr. Ian MacPherson.
